Land given to Ram temple in Ayodhya has graves: Lawyer

Ayodhya - The letter said a graveyard exists around the demolished mosque and those who lost their lives in the 1885 riots, were buried there.

A group of residents in Ayodhya has sent a letter to the temple trust saying that construction of the Ram temple on the graves will be a violation of 'Sanatan Dharma'.
The letter has been sent by M.R. Shamshad, the advocate who represented the Muslim side in the Ayodhya title dispute case.
The letter, which was sent on February 15, said a graveyard exists around the demolished Babri Masjid and those who lost their lives in the 1885 riots in Ayodhya, were buried there.
The letter further said: "As per recorded facts, 75 people were killed in the riots of 1885 and they were buried in an existing graveyard around the mosque. Even thereafter, this land was used as a graveyard."
"The Central government has not considered the issue of not using the graveyard for constructing the grand temple of Lord Ram. It has violated 'dharma'," the letter stated.

The letter is addressed to senior Supreme Court lawyer K. Parasaran, who is heading the trust, as well as the other trustees, and asks them to consider whether it is acceptable to have a Ram temple over the graves.
The letter also refers to the Ismail Faruqui verdict of 1994, which had said that the 'disputed structure was surrounded by a graveyard on three sides'.
Referring to the judgement, the letter said, "After the 1994 judgement of the SC in the Ismail Faruqui case, the dispute between mosque and Ram temple remained confined to 1,480 sq yards".
The letter also referred to the Acquisition of Certain Area at Ayodhya Act (1993), saying that the exclusion of mosque from the land is "uncalled for".
"With all humility and respect to Lord, I request you not to use the land of about 4-5 acres in which the graves are there, around the demolished mosque. The graves may not be visible today considering the fact that the entire area has been differently treated with since 1948 when forcibly an idol was placed inside the mosque and when, in 1992, the mosque was demolished," it added.
Shamshad, who represented Iqbal Ansari, one of the litigants in the title dispute case, said he wrote the letter on behalf of multiple Ayodhya residents.

It may be recalled that on February 5, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the formation of a temple trust to oversee the construction of the Ram temple.
The Prime Minister had stated that the entire 67-acre land will be given to the trust for the construction of the Ram temple.

"While deciding the 1,480 sq yard dispute in November 2019, the Supreme Court left the Central government with all the powers to dispose the said land the way it wanted," the letter said.
The SC, in its November 9 Ayodhya verdict, had stated that either the Central government allots five acres in the 67-acre complex or the state government locate an alternate site at a "suitable prominent place" for the construction of the mosque.
 

• India