Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday appealed to the people to exercise restraint in their reaction to the Supreme court verdict in the Ayodhya land dispute case and not to disrupt the state's harmony.
"We will not allow any untoward incidents to take place", Vijayan told reporters soon after the historic verdict was delivered. “Police have been put on strict vigil,” he added.
"The judgement has come on a matter which had caused a lot of bloodshed in this country. The court has confirmed that installing the Ram idol and demolition of Babri Masjid was illegal," he noted.
In a unanimous verdict on November 9, the top court cleared the way for the construction of a Ram Temple at the disputed site at Ayodhya and directed the Centre to allot a 5-acre plot to the Sunni Waqf Board for building a mosque. The verdict was pronounced by a 5-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi.
The apex court said the mosque should be constructed at a "prominent site" and a trust should be formed within three months for the construction of the temple at the site many Hindus believe Lord Ram was born.
Recalling the violence that broke out across the country following Babri Masjid's demolition, Vijayan said, with this verdict, the legal issues with relation to the land dispute have come to a conclusion.
"I would like to appeal to all to show restraint in their reactions to the apex court order. The reactions must not hamper the peaceful life of people. No response should be made to disrupt the harmony of the state", he said.
Pointing out that the state reacted in a peaceful manner when the Babri masjid was demolished, the Chief Minister said, the government has taken all steps to maintain peace in the state.
Click here for a timeline of the Ayodhya case
Reacting to the judgement, Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan said everyone should respect and honour it.
"We all have a duty to respectfully accept the verdict and honour it. The verdict has come from the Supreme court. As Indians we are bound to respect it, honour it and follow it, he said.
Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) Supremo, Panakkad Syed Hyderali Shihab Thangal said the party accepts the SC decision.
"A meeting of IUML has been called on Monday and we will analyse the verdict," he said.
In the state capital, Thiruvananthapuram, district collector K Gopalakrishnan had convened an all-party peace meeting on Friday, which urged all organisations to maintain peace. Any effort to create trouble will be dealt with sternly, the collector said.
Authorities will also strictly monitor and take action against any misuse of social media to incite trouble. The public can inform the authorities on any suspected activities to foment trouble on the 24-hour control room in operational in the district collectorate.
Contact numbers: 0471 2730045, 2730067.
