Groups call for peace on Babri verdict day

With the Allahahad high court scheduled to give its order on the Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi dispute on September 24, Muslim religious groups in the city have appealed for peace on the day. They have especially asked for the revival of mohalla committees or volunteer groups that were set up after the 1992 riots to maintain peace in communally sensitive localities.

In Mumbai, members of a group called Ekta Welfare Association met the state director general of police on Saturday to submit a memorandum on the issue. “We have asked the police to call a meeting of organisations representing various religious groups before the day of the judgement to discuss law and order issues. We do not want any communal flare ups. The Commonwealth Games will start in October and there may be trouble before the games,” said MA Khalid, a businessman and general secretary of Ekta Welfare Association.

Religious groups also met the city commissioner of police. Muslim NGOs and groups that addressed a press conference on Friday have suggested the activation of mohalla committees and mobilisation of police at towns in the state like Bhiwandi, Malegaon, Jalna and Parbhani that are prone to communal riots. Mohalla committees have, in the past, helped the police maintain law and order during periods of communal unrest. Though many of these groups still exist, they have not been very active in the last few years, especially since the city has witnessed few incidents of communal violence recently.

Farid Batatawala of Muslim Front, which was part of the delegation to the police headquarters, said, “We have asked members of our community to respect the court’s judgment in the Babri Masjid case regardless of whether it is in the community’s favour. We have told the police that we will not give any chance to communal leaders to disturb law and order.”