SC verdict ended politics over Ram Janmabhoomi: Iqbal

Iqbal Ansari, who was one of the petitioners in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute, is not just happy with the Supreme Court verdict but rather relieved.

“We are happy and satisfied because the judge in the case has finally put to end the politics over Ram Janmabhoomi dispute. This had become a source of communal riots and other incidents. Politicians were using it to create animosity between Hindus and Muslims and reap political dividends. It’s finished now,” he told DH when asked for his comment.

Iqbal is not alone in Ayodhya who feels that the court’s verdict has ended the years of politics over Ram Janmabhoomi. Majority of the Muslim community members in Ayodhya share his view.

To Nusrat Kuddushi, who claimed to have witnessed the Babri Masjid demolition on December 6 1992, the biggest take away from the apex court verdict is that it will restore communal harmony and peace among the Hindus and Muslims over the decade-old dispute in effect.

“I will neither express happiness over the judgment nor any resentment. We have accepted the court’s verdict. Harmony and peace in society is the most important thing. And that is what we have to ensure,” he said.

Iqbal said that Ayodhya has always remained peaceful on the dispute over Ram Janmabhoomi title suit even though other parts of the country witnessed communal discord and rage on the vexed issue.

“Hindus and Muslims have never fought on this issue here. Not a single FIR of any such fight has been lodged in Ayodhya in past 50 years. I am very happy because there will not be a fight over this issue now in any part of the country and there will be peace, he added.

Muslims in Ayodhya, who constitute about 10% of the population in the city, are now hoping that the government would allocate 5-acre land as per the court’s verdict for the building of a new mosque in Ayodhya in consultation with their community leaders.

“Earlier, the High Court in its order had held that whichever party will lose the case would get land from the same site. I hope the government would take this into consideration while taking a decision on allocation of land. We have not been consulted so far,” Iqbal said when asked.