Flashpoint holy site 'to be shared by Muslims and Hindus'

THE hotly disputed holy site that sparked riots in which at least 2,000 people died is to be divided between Hindus and Muslims, an Indian court ruled yesterday.

In a compromise decision, the court gave Hindus control of the area where activists flattened the Babri Mosque and where a makeshift tent-shrine to Hindu god Rama has been put up.

While both Muslim and Hindu lawyers vowed to appeal, immediate reaction was muted and it seemed unlikely to spark violence, as many feared.

Hindus rushed to give thanks at temples in Ayodhya - near the disputed site - where the atmosphere was peaceful.

"It is very clear the case will go to the Supreme Court. It is not our final victory," said Nitya Gopal Das, president of a Hindu trust involved in the suit.

In Lucknow, where the decision was read out, shops were closed, streets deserted and police patrolled. And in Mumbai - a flash point for previous Hindu-Muslim violence over the temple - Hindu and Muslim groups appealed for peace.

"We hope all problems regarding matters with Hindus and Muslims can be settled in this amicable way," said Haji Arfat, a leader of the Hindu fundamentalist Maharashtra Navnirman Sena.

The verdict was seen by some as an opportunity for communal reconciliation. The chief minister of Gujarat state, which has seen some of India's worst religious riots, welcomed the ruling as clearing the path for building the Rama temple.

"The judgment will also act as a catalytic agent in strengthening the country's unity," said Narendra Modi, who was Gujarat's chief minister in 2002 when Hindu mobs rampaged through Muslim neighbourhoods in riots that left about 1,000 people dead, mostly Muslims.

Those riots were triggered by a fire that killed 60 passengers on a train packed with Hindu pilgrims. The cause of the blaze was unclear, but Hindu extremists blamed Muslims.

The conflict over the 64-acre compound in Ayodhya - 350 miles east of New Delhi - also sparked deadly violence between Hindus and Muslims in 1992 when Hindu hard-liners razed the Babri Mosque built on the site in 1528 by the Mughal emperor Babur.

Hindus say the site is the birthplace of Rama, and a temple to the god once stood there.They want to build a new, temple to Rama, while the Muslims want to rebuild the mosque. Yesterday's ruling would almost certainly force both groups to scale down those plans. The Allahabad High Court ruling said the site should be shared, with Muslims getting one-third and two Hindu groups splitting the rest, including where the mosque once stood.Archaeological evidence, the court said, showed a temple predated the mosque.

"The majority ruled the location of the makeshift temple is the birthplace of Rama, and this spot cannot be shifted," said Ravi Shankar Prasad, a lawyer for one of the Hindu groups who sued.

The court said the site should retain its status for the next three months to allow for the land to be measured and divided.

Zaffaryab Jilani, a lawyer for the Muslim community, said he would appeal the verdict, which could delay a final decision in the 60-year-old case for years. HS Jain, one of the Hindu plaintiffs, said he would appeal. "100 per cent of the land belongs to Hindus. Why split it?"

The government had urged peace in the wake of the verdict but still flooded the streets with troops in Uttar Pradesh, where Ayodhya is located. Police arrested more than 10,000 people to prevent them inciting violence, while another 100,000 had to sign affidavits saying they would not cause trouble. Helicopters hovered over holy sites and people entering temples were checked with metal detectors,.

More than 40,000 police fanned out across Mumbai, hit by anti-Muslim violence after the mosque demolition, but it saw peace marches in recent days. Still, many schools were closed last night and many businesses planned to close early.