Karnataka CM assures tight security on the Ayodhya judgement day

Chief minister BS Yeddyurappa, on Sunday, assured stringent security cover to maintain peace and order in the state in the light of a court’s long-awaited verdict on the vexed Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi dispute. 

The Allahabad high court would deliver its verdict on the
60-year-old title suit over the disputed land in Ayodhya on
September 24.

“I have already started the process of providing fool-proof security to foil any attempts to disrupt communal harmony in the state. People of Karnataka are known for their peaceful co-existence. I am confident that the state will remain peaceful and calm,” Yeddyurappa said.

The chief minister also hoped that both the Hindu and Muslim communities would accept the court verdict. Those who try to disrupt law and order would be dealt with severely, he added while appealing to people to shun the path of confrontation and unite for the development and prosperity of the nation.

Meanwhile, the government would adopt special security measures in cities such as Bangalore, Dharwad, Hubli and Mangalore. These cities had witnessed violence in the aftermath of the Babri Masjid demolition in 1992.

It is learnt that the city police would not leave any stone unturned in the city. It would take suspected elements in preventive custody and deploy its men in sensitive areas as a precautionary measure.

Meanwhile, the Central government, too, appealed to the public to see the judgement in its “proper perspective.”

The Union government further said that no attempt should be “made by any section of the society to provoke any other section or to indulge in any expression of emotion that would hurt the feelings of other people.”

The government made the appeal after it was approved by the Union cabinet on September 9.

It has been widely believed that the governments might issue an appeal to the media regarding its coverage of the court’s verdict. The News Broadcasters’ Association (NBA) has already issued an advisory to all Indian television news channels.

The NBA directed TV channels to avoid visuals showing “the celebration of or protest against the judgement. In view of the sensitivity of news reporting on this issue, extra care should be taken to ensure accuracy by vetting and clearance at the highest editorial level,” the association’s general secretary Annie Joseph said in the advisory issued on Saturday.