Fear in the air

Ayodhya is in the grip of fear and confusion as Union Ministers and Uttar Pradesh administration speak in different voices about the security arrangements in, and the movement of kar sevaks to, the town.

A WEEK before the Ramjanmabhoomi Nyas' proposed bhoomi puja at Ayodhya, it became clear that the Central government was succumbing to pressure from the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) on the issue of relaxing security measures in the town. This was despite the Uttar Pradesh administration's plea for tightening of security measures. Nothing illustrated this better than the statements made within a span of 48 hours by two Union Ministers, which were not only at variance with each other but contrary to the State government's stand.

When Minister of State for Home Affairs I.D. Swami visited Ayodhya on March 8 to review the security arrangements, he said that he would remove the restrictions on the road and rail traffic to the town. It was apparent that he had made the statement under pressure from VHP leaders. The next morning Defence Minister George Fernandes said at a public function in New Delhi that the State government had sought the deployment of the Army in Ayodhya. "We have received a written request from the U.P. administration for deployment of the Army in Faizabad," he said. "For the last few days we were getting telephone requests from the Faizabad district administration. But since last night, the requests have become intense," he added.

A few hours after this announcement, Governor Vishnu Kant Shastri speaking in Lucknow, vehemently denied having made any such request. "We have only asked the Army to stay alert," he clarified. However, he admitted that "it is a crisis situation". It became obvious that the State administration's assessment of the situation in Faizabad-Ayodhya was at complete variance with the statement of Swami and Fernandes.

Swami, by announcing in Ayodhya that the restrictions on road and rail traffic would be removed, blatantly acceded to the demands of the VHP to open to kar sevaks the gates of Ayodhya. This drew a retort from the State administration, which had, with some success, kept the kar sevaks away from Ayodhya. Three days earlier the Ramjanmabhoomi Nyas had, in a statement, asked the government to lift the curbs on Ram sevaks travelling to Ayodhya, remove the additional police force, allow the March 15 ceremony and hand over to it the acquired land by June 2.

Swami felt that nothing untoward would happen if the district administration handled the situation sensibly. At the workshop at Ramsevakpuram, where the work of the prefabricating parts of the temple is going on, he said: "The VHP and the Nyas have said they will hold only a symbolic puja on March 15. The restrictions on road and train traffic need not be that stringent. We are working towards a compromise that is acceptable to all."

The local administration reacted with surprise. "We had been successful in keeping out kar sevaks. Now the entire exercise has been made redundant by the Minister's order. Allowing trains and buses into Ayodhya would make it impossible to keep a tab on the movements of kar sevaks," an officer said.

The next day there was no let-up in the restrictions. Instead the State administration asked the Army to stay on alert. Security checks were tightened and the police thoroughly searched even vehicles moving with valid passes. Faizabad Divisional Commissioner Anil Kumar Gupta said the district administration had not received any instructions in writing to lift the restrictions.

Train services did not resume as the Railway authorities had not received any intimation from the Centre in this regard. Following the Gujarat violence the Central government had cancelled or diverted 19 trains reaching Ayodhya and Faizabad. All roads to Ayodhya were sealed and it was made mandatory for all vehicles entering Ayodhya to get an entry pass, issued by the local magistrate. The administration divided the vehicles into three categories and issued passes only for vehicles carrying marriage parties and mediapersons and those that were on official duty.

In the first few days of the introduction of the pass system, the magistrate's office was flooded with applications. The fuel stations in the Faizabad, Barabanki and Ayodhya region ran out of fuel as tankers without permits were denied entry. There was a shortage of vegetables and milk. "Our life has been put on hold," said Ram Bhaj, a shopkeeper in the Chowk area of Faizabad. Local newspapers reported delays in marriage ceremonies in cases where the families had arranged for priests to be brought from outside the district. It was left to the family members to do the running around to get the permit for the priest. It did not take long for the local people to start complaining about the stringent security measures. Local leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party, such as Laloo Singh and Faizabad MP Vinay Katiyar, peeved as they were by the Central government's additional measures to keep kar sevaks out of Ayodhya, demanded immediate revocation of the security measures.

Among the steps taken by the authorities was the issuing of a notice imposing ban orders under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code. On March 3, such notices appeared at Karsevakpuram and Ramsevakpuram. It stated that in view of the developments in Gujarat and the assemblage of kar sevaks in Ayodhya, there were apprehensions that any sloganeering would directly or indirectly incite public sentiments, affecting the law and order situation.

One measure that has proved effective is the division of Ayodhya - which has nearly 7,000 temples-cum-houses - into a number of administrative segments. Each segment has been assigned to a Sub-Divisional Magistrate and a Deputy Superintendent of Police. Around 70 companies of paramilitary forces have been deployed in the area. As a result of all these, the number of kar sevaks in Ayodhya, by the time of Swami's visit, fell to around 500 from 15,000. The VHP had planned to mobilise its cadre in U.P. from March 9 onwards and put pressure on Swami to relax the conditions for entry of kar sevaks into Ayodhya. It has divided U.P. into six pranths (zone) - Avadh, Kashi, Ayodhya, Meerut, Uttaranchal and Braj. Each pranth has at least 20 zillas and each zilla at least 214 blocks. Each block has its own units of the VHP and the Bajrang Dal. The VHP support base in villages that lie beside the road to Gonda and Balrampur is quite strong. The approach roads and access points have been carefully studied and woven into the revised VHP strategy of calling upon its cadre at short notice. Any decision to relax entry into Ayodhya by allowing in buses and trains would only make it easier for kar sevaks to reach Ayodhya.

The cadre have been asked to remain prepared for any eventuality. The 500-odd kar sevaks who were present in Karsevakpuram until March 8 have been trained in shifting the prefabricated pillars to the construction site. However, the cadre also know that they can act only after getting orders from the top leadership.

All these have resulted in a sense of insecurity among residents of Ayodhya, particularly the 3,000-odd Muslims. Some Muslim families have even moved out hoping to return after the tension has eased. But when that will happen is anybody's guess.