Former Babri Masjid litigant Iqbal Ansari said on Saturday that Ayodhya now reflects peace and communal harmony nearly three decades after the mosque’s demolition. Speaking to IANS, he said, “Temple built, brotherhood prevails in Ayodhya,” highlighting the city’s development and coexistence.
Reflecting on the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s 2019 verdict, Ansari noted, “Muslims across the country respected the decision. Today, there is peace in Ayodhya. There is no dispute between Hindus and Muslims, no protests, and no unrest. Ayodhya is a religious place and there is brotherhood here. The temple is built, and every Muslim accepted this decision unitedly. We want our nation to grow, work should be worshipped, and there should be peace in our nation.”
Ansari also spoke about the city’s transformation since the verdict, saying, “Ayodhya now has an airport, a railway station, a bus station, good roads, ponds, and parks. There are more employment opportunities, and the city has progressed significantly.”
Security across Uttar Pradesh was heightened on the anniversary of the Babri Masjid demolition in 1992. Sensitive locations, including Ayodhya and Mathura, were placed on high alert, with police implementing multi-layered security, barricades, CCTV monitoring, and drone surveillance. In Mathura, the Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi complex and Shahi Eidgah Mosque were divided into zones for systematic monitoring, while prominent temples in Vrindavan, including the Banke Bihari Temple and Prem Mandir, were under close watch, with plainclothes officers and units of the Provincial Armed Constabulary and Rapid Action Force on standby.
December 6 remains a sensitive date in India’s communal calendar, observed as “Shaurya Diwas” by some Hindu groups and as “Black Day” by several Muslim organisations. The Babri Masjid–Ram Mandir dispute reached a turning point on November 9, 2019, when the Supreme Court awarded the disputed land to Ram Lalla Virajman and allocated five acres to the Sunni Waqf Board. The foundation of the Ram temple was laid on August 5, 2020, and as of November 25, 2025, the temple has been fully completed, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi raising the saffron Dharma Dhwaj atop its spire.
