Modi to lay Hindu temple foundations at Ayodhya
The flashpoint Indian town of Ayodhya geared up yesterday for a ceremony today which will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to lay the foundations for a Hindu temple on the ruins of a mosque destroyed by a mob in 1992. The destruction of the mosque sparked riots across the country in which 2,000 people, mainly Muslims, died. Devout Hindus believe that the mosque was built on the birthplace of Lord Ram some 7,000 years ago. In November last year, India'a top court awarded the site to Hindus, giving Muslims another location to build a new mosque. It was a stunning victory for the BJP, but for critics, it marked another step in Modi's agenda to turn officially secular India into a Hindu nation.
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