LUCKNOW/AYODHYA, India, India: Dozens of people in India have been detained on suspicion of publishing inflammatory social media posts and setting off celebratory firecrackers after the Supreme Court ruled to give a disputed religious site to Hindus, police said on Sunday (Nov 10).
The Supreme Court awarded the bitterly contested site in the northern town of Ayodhya to Hindus on Saturday, dealing a defeat to Muslims who also claim the land that has sparked some of the country's bloodiest riots since independence.
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Hindu devotees shout slogans as they celebrate after Supreme Court's verdict on a disputed religious site, in Ayodhya, India, Nov 9, 2019. (Photo: Reuters/Danish Siddiqui)
In 1992, a Hindu mob destroyed the 16th-century Babri Mosque on the site, triggering riots in which about 2,000 people, most of them Muslims, were killed, but no major violence was reported after the court ruling on Saturday or on Sunday
About 37 people were arrested and 12 cases were registered in Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state and the site of the contested land, state police said.
At least one person was arrested in the state capital of Lucknow for making "inappropriate remarks" on social media and using threatening language.
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"Police are appealing to residents to not misuse social media," Kalanidhi Naithani, senior superintendent of police in Lucknow, said late on Saturday.
Supporters of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), a Hindu nationalist organisation, shout slogans during celebrations after Supreme Court's verdict on a disputed religious site in Ayodhya, in Ahmedabad, India, Nov 9, 2019. (Photo: Reuters/Amit Dave)
In another part of the state, at least seven men were arrested for setting off firecrackers or creating disturbances while distributing sweets in celebration, police said.
The Home Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for information on arrests.
Before Saturday's verdict, the government deployed thousands of members of paramilitary forces and police in Ayodhya and other sensitive places. Hindu groups told members not to celebrate publicly.
The court's decision paves the way for the construction of a Hindu temple on the site, a proposal long supported by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling Hindu-nationalist party.
Hindus believe the site is the birthplace of Lord Ram, a physical incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu, and say the site was holy for Hindus long before the MuRead More – Source
