It was business as usual in Walled City on Saturday, but conversations at tea stalls and benches outside meat shops revolved around the Ayodhya land dispute verdict delivered by the Supreme Court.
Most of those who followed the development through the day said they accepted the judgment “because there was no other option”. Some of them argued that the five-acre land to be allotted for building a mosque was of “no use”.
Khurram Zubair (42), a garment shop owner, said according to the faith, “if one prays at a disputed place, a place which is not bought or a place which discomforts anyone, it’s not counted”. “Also, a mosque cannot be shifted like that. One cannot worship at any place. There’s a reason why mosques have been there at particular places for decades,” he added.
Not everyone agreed with Mr. Zubair’s views though. Mohammed Adil, who runs a restaurant and a guest house, said: “The land is being allotted to us by the government and it’s good enough. Most importantly, it’s given to us in Ayodhya only. We can worship there,” he said.
‘No say’
Sitting next to two police vans deployed outside Jama Masjid, Syed Ameenuddin (67), a meat shop owner, said he did not have a problem with the verdict because he did not have a say. “We are living in a dictatorship system and we don’t have a say. But no one ever lives happily under a dictator irrespective of their religion. The decision is in favour of the dictator and but it’s not the God’s decision,” he said.
“The verdict that has come had to come. How long could we continue this fight? The environment is not such that we can say anything,” said Raisuddin, 40, who runs a motor parts shop.
“If the decision was announced in our favour, would you have seen peace in this area like it is today,” he asked, adding that the decision has been taken in “favour of the majority”.
Some were also of the view that a long battle has ended irrespective of which side the judgment swayed. Fareeduddin, a 49-year-old businessman, said that all he cares about is the future. “My daughter’s generation does not care about the temple-mosque issue. We are just happy that this long battle is over and now they won’t pitch the two communities against each other over this matter,” he said.
Syed Imran, holding a similar view, said that people in the Walled City are worried about earning a living after demonetisation and in such a situation, “it’s tough to think about religion”.
On the security arrangements on Friday night, Mr. Raissudin said police officers on motorbikes made several rounds of the area and there was heavy deployment of forces till Saturday afternoon. A few policemen also asked him about presence of anti-social elements.
“Sab theek hai. Fasaad sirf wahi ho sakta hai jahan ye chahen, warna koi pareshani hai [Everything is fine. Violence can erupt only where they want it, otherwise there’s no tension],” he said.
