#Delhi riots

[nando161mando]

"The most absurd apology for authority and law is that they serve to diminish crime.

Aside from the fact that the State is itself the greatest criminal, breaking every written and natural law, stealing in the form of taxes, killing in the form of war and capital punishment, it has come to an absolute standstill in coping with crime. It has failed utterly to destroy or even minimize the horrible scourge of its own creation."

— Emma Goldman

[dintentdata]

Debunking Misleading Video: Delhi Riots Exposed

Discover the truth behind a misleading video circulating on social media, falsely linking it to the Indian Army and a specific community. Learn how the video is actually from the Delhi Riots in February 2020 and has no connection to religion, Kashmir, or Rajasthan. Uncover the intent behind this incident and the importance of fact-checking to combat misinformation.

[youthchronical]

Delhi HC dismisses plea by Khalid Saifi against attempt to murder charge

Saifi’s wife and daughter at a press conference in Delhi. | Photo Credit: file photo The Delhi High Court on Tuesday rejected a plea by ‘United Against Hate’ founder Khalid Saifi challenging the invocation of an attempt to murder charge in a case related to the February 2020 communal riots in parts of north-east Delhi. Mr. Saifi argued that the charge under IPC Section 307 (attempt to murder)…

[todayworldnews2k21]

Consider Sharjeel Imam's plea to expedite bail hearing: Supreme Court to High Court

The Supreme Court on Friday declined a writ petition from Sharjeel Imam, an accused in the 2020 Delhi riots case, seeking to expedite his bail hearing in the Delhi High Court. However, it directed the High Court to consider Imam’s plea. A bench of Justices Bela M Trivedi and S C Sharma said it was not inclined to entertain the plea, which sought bail under Article 32 of the Constitution. Imam’s…

[massivelyspeedyobject]

The real story of prosecution of minorities by Hitler & the resemblance

Credit: quora The prosecution of minorities under Hitler’s regime, particularly targeting Jews, is a dark chapter in history. Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party implemented policies of systematic discrimination, persecution, and ultimately extermination of various minority groups, most notably Jews, but also including Romani people, disabled individuals, homosexuals, and others. The persecution…

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

"Three Hurt As Mob Attacks Alien Workers At Delhi," Border Cities Star. August 3, 1933. Page 9. --- Tension At High PitchHome of Foreign-Born Grower Target For Eggs, Stones ---- Resent Invasion ---- Too Many From Outside At Work in Tobacco Fields,Is Claim ---- LONDON, Ont., August 3 - Delhi's disturbances are not being investigated by the provincial police of London division, Sergt. William Scott informed The Star today. "It is a matter for the municipal authorities," said Sergt. Scott. "Delhi has its own chief of police employed by the town."

DELHI, Ont., August 3.- Tension was at a high pitch in the tobacco fields of this area today as a result of the unruly demonstration by a mob of some 50 men outside the home of Joseph Repchak, tobacco grower, last night. An official investigation is likely.

SUFFER HEAD WOUNDS TWO of Repchak's employes suffered head wounds and other cuts when showered with missiles by the demonstrators who were said to be protesting the alleged influx of alien workers. The injured men were members of a party of four occupying the verandah of Repchak's home when the mob marched past. Eggs and stones were hurled at the dwelling. it was said.

Repchak, aroused by the disturbance, hastily dressed and took his injured workers to the office of Dr. E. W. Zumstein for medical attention. A crowd estimated at 100 followed them and congregated outside the building but did not attempt to molest the injured men after their wounds had been tended.

4 ON VERANDAH Four employes of Repchak, himself a naturalized Canadian. were sitting on the verandah when the mob made its appearance. Caught in the first volley, two of the men were hit with stones and suffered deep scalp wounds which required medical attention. The other men ran into the house, where Mr. Repchak was hastily dressing. having been aroused from his sleep as the stones kept bouncing off the wallsof his home.

Undaunted the tobacco grower, accompanied by the injured men, started out for the office of the doctor in the village, followed by the howling mob, and by the time the doctor's office was reached there were more than 100 in the mob. They kept milling around in front of the physician's office and for a time fear was expressed that they might again attack the men when they emerged.

William Bennett, said to have been one of those active in the demonstration, was also a casualty, suffering a cut on his head, which required six stitches to close. He, too, was treated by Dr. Zumstein and when the mob learned he had been injured tempers flared again. Bennett said he had been hit with a stone thrown by one of the Repchak employes.

NO POLICE Complete absence of any police officers in the village added to the general confusion as a number of the more peaceful citizens tried to find the local night constable. He could not be found, having disappeared before the mob set out on its march to the Repchak home, it is claimed. Trouble has been brewing for sometime, it is claimed, as the more radical English residents, protested the bringing of foreign-born into the district.

However, according to reports Mr. Repchak is considered a worthy citizen and only two months ago was granted his Canadian citizenship papers. His two children attend the Delhi public school and are popular with their school chums.

Frank Kasza and Coloman Milo were the two Hungarians injured.

[publictaknews]

'Extraordinary reports' changing opinion in Delhi riots case: Center to HC latest news delhi

The report of the private organization or “Additional Judicial Commission” on the February 2020 North-East Delhi riots has tried to spin a biased and selective narrative to influence public opinion in favor of a particular community, the central government has told the Delhi High Court. has told. The Centre’s plea came in support of a petition filed by Dharmesh Sharma, a lawyer and victim of…

[shehzadi]

so far, nearly 3 weeks on from the inauguration of ram mandir, indian authorities have demolished as many masjids and/or madrasas.

30.01.24 - akhoonji masjid & madrasa in delhi, also destroying a cemetery, shrine and all the students’ belongings in the process.

01.02.24 - a madrasa in maharashtra despite facing opposition from local muslims and one day before its scheduled court appeal.

08.02.24 - a masjid & madrasa in uttarakhand. this comes one day after uttarakhand became the first state to pass the uniform civil code (x, x) which aims to apply a ‘hindu code’ to all indians, infringing on the rights of dalits, adivasis, sikhs, christians, buddhists and muslims (i.e. anybody non-hindu) to practice their religion/lifestyle. muslim women protesting the demolition were lathi-charged (beaten with sticks) by police, a shoot-on-sight order was given resulting in 6 muslims killed and 300+ injured in the riots that followed, a curfew was put in place during which hindutva mobs burned down muslim homes and businesses while shouting abuse at muslims.

as always, no prior notice was given and bjp used it’s gold-standard excuse for each demolition, citing ‘illegal encroachment’.

in addition to these masjid demolitions, indian authorities bulldozed 2 neighbourhoods (ghettos, really) in the same timeframe and also without prior notice:

01.02.24 - jasola slum, which, having been around for at least 16 years, should not have been demolished without providing alternative housing, as the delhi slum policy states for slums which came up before 2015. obviously, housing hasn’t been provided.

06.02.24 - panchsheel nagar in mumbai which, having been around since 2011, entitled residents to paid rehabilitation, which has also not been given. this has left over 110 families homeless.

the demographic of both neighbourhoods, surprise surprise, is overwhelmingly muslim, buddhist and dalit.

bjp is enjoying the cover it is receiving from israel’s genocide in palestine to do whatever it wants and is getting bolder by the day. this ‘bulldozer justice’ has been happening for years, but not at such a rapid rate as it is now.

[hindulivesmatter]

Why Gandhi is a piece of shit and you should hate him.

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi has been established in our history as a "Mahatma" which means "great soul"

This man is anything but that.

He is EVERYWHERE. He's on our currency, he's revered as a hero who saved India, and we have a mandatory holiday on October 2nd in honor of him.

If you didn't know, now you're going to get to know why he was a horrible human being. Let's begin.

This man managed to fool people Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela (among many others) into thinking he was a good person.

Here is some of the shit he's done:

In 1903, when Gandhi was in South Africa, he wrote that white people there should be "the predominating race." He also said black people "are troublesome, very dirty, and live like animals."

 Refused to have sex with his wife for the last 38 years of their marriage. He felt that in order to test his commitment to celibacy, he would have beautiful young women (including his own great niece) lie next to him naked through the night. His wife, whom he described as looking like a "meek cow" was no longer desirable enough to be a solid test.

Believed that Indian women who were raped lost their value as a human.

During Gandhi's time as a dissident in South Africa, he discovered a male youth had been harassing two of his female followers. Gandhi responded by personally cutting the girls' hair off, to ensure the "sinner's eye" was "sterilised". Gandhi boasted of the incident in his writings, pushing the message to all Indians that women should carry responsibility for sexual attacks upon them.

He argued that fathers could be justified in killing daughters who had been sexually assaulted for the sake of family and community honour. 

Gandhi also waged a war against contraceptives, labelling Indian women who used them as whores.

He believed menstruation was a "manifestation of the distortion of a woman's soul by her sexuality".

On 6th April 1947, he gave a speech where he said, “ If the Muslims are out there slicing through Hindu masses to wipe out the Hindu race, the Hindus should say nothing and peacefully accept death”.

He hated the great Hindu rulers, especially Shivaji Maharaj. To please the Muslims, he banned the book named ShivBhaavani which correctly depicted Islam’s intolerance and fierce fundamentalism spread by it.

Refused his wife life-saving medication (for religious reasons), but those religious reasons all of a sudden no longer applied to him when he was in a similar position.

Started a fast unto death when Ambedkar asked for separate electorates for Dalits.

Gandhi left his ailing father on his deathbed, to sleep with his wife. The child born out of this copulation died in infancy. According to Gandhi, the death of this infant was the result of this evil karma.

Gandhi, even when he claimed to be the angel of non-violence, made no efforts to prevent the British from deploying Indian troops at various locations during World War II.

Kashmir was invaded by Pakistan in 1947, the brutal Pakistani army committed heinous crimes against Kashmiri Pandits including mass rape and mass killings consequently many Pandits were forced to flee to Delhi and other places. In one incident Pandits took refuge in an abandoned mosque in Delhi. Infuriated, Gandhi threatened to fast to death if the Pandits didn't leave. The Pandits were slaughtered in a communal riot as soon as they abandoned the mosques.

Criticized the Jews for defending themselves against the Holocaust because he insisted that they should have committed public mass suicide in order to "shame" the Germans instead of fighting back. His exact words were, "But the Jews should have offered themselves to the butcher's knife. They should have thrown themselves into the sea from the cliffs. As it is, they succumbed anyway in their millions."

And this is all from a simple Internet search compiled here. I wonder what else is hiding if I do a deep dive.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

[youthchronical]

Delhi riots case: HC dismisses plea by Khalid Saifi against attempt to murder charge

A social activist holds a face mask that reads ‘Hum Sab Khalid Saifi’ during a press conference over police probe on Delhi riots cases, at Press Club of India | Photo Credit: PTI The Delhi High Court on Tuesday (November 5, 2024) rejected a plea by ‘United Against Hate’ founder Khalid Saifi against invocation of the charge of attempt to murder against him in a case related to the communal riots…

[ramcharantitties]

Rangrez

Chapter 2: From Lahore

It was just another morning in Delhi. The sun started to rise and Ram was back home, sweating like a melting snow cone. He got ready to report to the police station- when he remembered he had a duty at the railway station today.

Ram didn't understand why the authorities would give him duty at most peculiar places. It was only a comfort that the railway station was close to police barracks. But he understood that crowd and riots like this can only be handled by him. It was 7 am, and the train from Lahore has just stopped on the railway station of Delhi. Chandni chowk was a bustling market, and often the crowd made its place on the railway station. Even 7 am looked like a Sunday evening sometimes. Buying a cutting chai, he sat down on the stool, observing everyone in sight.

A sweet sound pulled Ram's attention- sounds of payal not usually heard around here. His neck whipped to the sound, to see a woman dressed like a bride from head to toe. Was she a runaway? Ram looked away, continuing on his tea and biscuit. Delhi is a sight of all the freaks and couldn't care less. Ram finished his tea and got up to pay, when a hand extended in front of him to pick a toast. He couldn't help but see the fading green lines on his wrist, as if a tattoo hardly recognizable. When Ram saw the man's face, the instant anxiety kicked an intuition in Ram- he knew who the man was. Ram soon sprinted after him, as he escaped, running to catch the member of a decoy gang who looted a whole family of the superintendent. The decoy put up a good fight, injuring Ram at places but in 10 minutes, Ram had the decoy in his hands.

On the other hand, Akhtar entered the frame of Railway station, eyes seeking for Ram. He parked his motorcycle, swinging the bag of lunch as he got off the bullet. Ammi made biryani and he had to deliver the fresh and hot delicacy. With a small smile, he made his way inside. Akhtar's first stop was the officer's room reserved for the police, but he had no luck there. Where would Ram be on such a big platform?

Upon looking further, he saw a woman, dressed like a bride from head to toe, sitting on one of the benches. Her face screamed she needed help, and she looked out of ordinary. It was almost time that she started attracting chain snatchers and ill intenders. Akhtar moved close to her, cautiously, and luckily gained her attention without calling for her.

"I am sorry to disturb but are you in trouble?"

The woman looked at him up and down, and then looked away. Akhtar gulped, but understood her ignorance. "I don't mean to do any harm, I'm just here to drop my friend's lunch. I thought you needed help." Akhtar tried, he thought. When she didn't budge from her position, he started to walk away, unsure. "Listen!" A melodious voice pulled him back, and he turned to her immediately. "I hope what you're saying is true. I am new to this city and I need a place to stay for some time." Akhtar smiled proudly "Where are you from?" "I am from Lahore, my name is Kainat"

Akhtar's eyes physically shined upon her name. "What a beautiful name, my younger sister would adore you" Kainat's eyes glistened at that. A sister who adores. "Would you know any place for me to stay temporarily?" Kainat repeated her query and Akhtar nodded, fortunately. "You can live with my family for sometime, I'm sure they won't mind" Her smile reached her eyes, nodding quickly. "Let me just find Ram Anna and introduce you to him, till then you can sit and wait in here".

Akhtar guided Kainat to the waiting room outside the police officer's room. After all, this was the safest place for her and easiest to find. She tapped her foot repetitively, anxious if she was deceived. She couldn't even get his name- all she knows is that he is looking for his friend, Ram.

About 2 minutes later, Kainat saw a man getting dragged inside the station by his collar. Must be a pick pocket, she thought, clutching her bag closer. There are a lot of them in Delhi. Kainat's attention was not on the police station, that was the last of her interest. She never understood how the people of nation could stand up against the freedom of their own family, their own blood. Whites to be damned, her blood boils whenever she witnesses a brown police officer. That was one of the things she hated about nawabs- taking the oppressor's side for their own luxury and comfort. She loved dancing, as long as it was in front of the women of Mahal and even the white oppressors. Although, were Huzoor any less than an oppressor herself?

Kainat snapped out of her thoughts when she saw someone limp and sit in front of her, his loose white shirt bloody. He huffed, closing his eyes and rested his head back. Kainat thought of him to be a culprit too, when a constable gave him a glass of water and left. Curiosity took the best of her, and she couldn't help but ask.

"Are you a police officer?" Ram opened his eyes to see the runaway bride he saw sometimes back. He closed his eyes again, nodding in no. Better to be safe than sorry. "Then why did the constable helped you just now?" Kainat missed the small smile on his face. "I caught a criminal on the run." Ram only heard the movement of her jewellery, shuffling. "Does it hurt?" Ram opened his eyes again. He never really thought about it, he was just tired. He took a quick glance at his wounds, which were really minor compared to his other incidents. "I'd be fine" he muttered, closing his eyes again.

"Anna!" Ram opened his eyes again when Akhtar called out for him, only to be caught off guard by blood on Ram. Kainat saw Akhtar run to the bench, asking what happened. Ram calmly put hand up, asking him to calm down. Kainat couldn't help but smile at the odd duo. "What are you smiling at?" Ram's question drew a silence on Akhtar. "Do you know each other?" Akhtar asked. Kainat looked from Ram to Akhtar. "We just met now" Kainat said.

Ram finally looked at Kainat from up to down. She looked like she belonged to royalty, with a bright and innocent face, sharp eyes and plump lips. She looked like she would bring trouble. "Anna, this is Kainat from Lahore. She'll be living with our family for awhile."

______________________________________

"Kainat" Ram muttered to himself.

Tagging: @vijayasena @ramayantika @jkdaddy01 @definitelyhim @yehsahihai @starlight-1010 @lilliebeingdelulu @panikk-attackkk @multifandom-boss-bitch

[mohabbaat]

Hello. Hope its okay to ask but can you tell me about Indira Ghandi? I have seen many Andhbhakts make her one of the reasons for why they hate Congress and all that... i

one of the reasons is the fact that she imposed emergency on the country in 1975. this happened cause a judge invalidated her 1971 electoral victory and barred her holding elected office for 6 years of something. because she did not want to lose her absolute power. the emergency was a period of 21 months which gave the prime minister absolute authority and most of the civil rights of the citizens were suspended (i heard some stories about this period from my parents. and apparently it was so bad that my every night my grandfather and some other men would have to go and patrol the neighborhood so nothing overly horrible happened). one of the worst things that happened during this period was the forced sterilization of the citizens. she came up with a compulsory sterilization program under which around 6.2 million men were forcefully sterilized in an year and the operations were done is such bad conditions that thousands died from infection (i have heard that the people were offered plots of land in exchange of getting sterilized).

then was operation blue star. this was basically a military operation which indira gandhi spearheaded. there was a militant sikh leader and his followers who were hiding in the golden temple premises and she ordered the military to storm into the temple and remove the militants. this operation led to the death of thousands of innocent pilgrims and it caused damage to the golden temple. this happened in june 1984. in october 1984, she was assassinated by her sikh body guards which led to the 1984 anti-sikh riots. more than 4000 sikhs were killed in delhi alone (my father once told me his experience about this time and it sounded absolutely horrible. like the dead bodies used to lying on the side of roads and there was no one to take care of them).

[massivelyspeedyobject]

The real story of prosecution of minorities by Hitler & the resemblance

Credit: quora The prosecution of minorities under Hitler’s regime, particularly targeting Jews, is a dark chapter in history. Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party implemented policies of systematic discrimination, persecution, and ultimately extermination of various minority groups, most notably Jews, but also including Romani people, disabled individuals, homosexuals, and others. The persecution…

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

"Charges May Follow Riots," Border Cities Star. August 4, 1933. Page 21. --- DELHI IS PEACEFUL --- Provincial Police Probe Attack on Grower ---- SIMCOE, August 4 - Charges will probably follow Wednesday night's rioting at Delhi when a mob stoned and threw rotten eggs at foreigners whom they claimed had taken jobs which rightfully belonged to Canadian citizens. Provincial police went to Delhi yesterday and made an investigation of the circumstances surrounding the outbreak, but would not reveal which of the participants, if any will face court action.

It was learned, however, that the outbreak Wednesday night had really been planned for last Saturday evening, but for some reason had been postponed. In Wednesday night's affair two men, employes of Joe Rep- hack, naturalized Canadian citizen, received slight injuries from stones thrown at them by the mob. A third, William Bennett, allegedly leader of the mob, also suffered injuries, but none of these are serious. Contrary to reports, Delhi has a full-time police officer and a night watchman engaged by the local merchants. The first intímation police headquarters here had of the affair was from newspaper re-ports yesterday.

Yesterday the streets of Delhi were almost deserted as provincial police arrived to investigate the riot.

Provincial Constable L. I. Shipley, of Simcoe, who was in charge of the investigation, questioned residents of Delhi in an attempt to identify the leaders of the mob. Although so far there have been no arrests, indications are that court prosecution will follow the riot.

Meanwhile Frank Kasza and Coloman Mile, the two Hungarian immigrants who were injured in the outburst, are recovering. Kasza suffered a wound in the head when he was struck by a stone, while his fellow countryman was struck behind the left ear.

Residents of Delhi are voicing a protest at the lack of police protection. Complaints from all parts of the village were heard because police could not be located when the riot broke out. It was not until 12 hours after the outburst that provincial police from Simcoe arrived.

[metamatar]

election chat incoming. so my parents are like, liberals. in that they actually aren't actual hindu fascists like my extended family. my father was okay with but didn't vote modi in 2014 bc he was all neoliberalism will fix the economy and then got scared off my the viciousness of islamophobia. remember when aamir khan got in trouble for calling out intolerance? i'd say by 2019 and esp with the rioting in delhi they stopped calling my opinion of the bjp "far left" but they were still aap types bc we lived in delhi and their was all this appearance of a welfare state under kejriwal. the point im making rn tho, is that they want to vote NOTA or none of the above this year. thats the shitshow INDIA alliance is.

[beardedmrbean]

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated a grand temple to Hindu god Ram in the flashpoint city of Ayodhya.

He said it heralded "a new era" for India - the temple replaces a 16th-Century mosque torn down by Hindu mobs in 1992, sparking riots in which nearly 2,000 people died.

Top film stars and cricketers were among guests at the event in Ayodhya.

But some Hindu seers and most of the opposition boycotted it, saying Mr Modi was using it for political gain.

General elections are due in India in the next few months and Mr Modi's political rivals say the governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will be seeking votes in the temple's name in a country where 80% of the population is Hindu.

Critics have also accused the government of exploiting a religious celebration in a country which - according to its constitution - is secular. For Muslims, India's biggest minority, the event evoked fear and painful memories, members of the community in Ayodhya told the BBC in the run-up to Monday's ceremony.

Televised live, it showed Mr Modi performing religious rituals inside the temple's sanctum along with priests and Mohan Bhagwat, head of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) - the ideological fountainhead of Hindu nationalist parties.

The complex history of India's Ayodhya holy site

Transforming a flashpoint holy city into the ‘Hindu Vatican’

"Today's date will go down in history," Mr Modi said after the event. "After years of struggle and countless sacrifices, Lord Ram has arrived [home]. I want to congratulate every citizen of the country on this historic occasion."

The temple has been constructed at a cost of $217m (£170m), funded from private donations. Only the ground floor was opened - the rest is expected to be completed by the end of the year. The construction work is part of a revamp for the city, estimated to cost more than $3bn.

The building of the Ram temple in Ayodhya fulfils a decades-long Hindu nationalist pledge. Many Hindus believe the Babri mosque was built by Muslim invaders on the ruins of a temple where the Hindu god was born.

The movement to build the temple helped propel the BJP into political prominence in the 1990s.

There was a festive atmosphere as tens of thousands of chanting Hindu devotees waved flags and beat drums - military helicopters showered flower petals on the temple. Saffron flags with pictures of Lord Ram line streets in the city festooned with marigolds, as do banners with the faces of Mr Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

Some of India's biggest celebrities, including Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan and cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, attended.

Temple rises from ruins of one of India’s darkest days

Listen: The temple at the heart of Modi's India re-election bid

Transforming a flashpoint holy city into the ‘Hindu Vatican’

In many other northern cities Hindus lit lamps, and saffron flags carrying images of Ram are fluttering on rooftops, including in several parts of Delhi. Cinemas screened the event, and big screens relayed pictures from Ayodhya to town squares and residential neighbourhoods.

The ceremony, called Pran Pratishtha, which loosely translates from Sanskrit into "establishment of life force", lasted about an hour. Hindus believe that chanting mantras and performing rituals around a fire will infuse sacred life in an idol or a photograph of a deity.

Several domestic TV stations built huge sets by the side of the river Saryu, a tributary of the Ganges, just behind the temple, and provided wall-to-wall coverage of the event, some proclaiming the moment of consecration as the start of "Ram Rajya" (Lord Ram's rule) in India.

Hindus celebrated the inauguration in other countries too. Massive billboards of Lord Ram graced Times Square in New York, where a group of devotees braved the freezing weather to gather in the middle of the night.

Temples all across the United Kingdom - where Indians are one of the largest diaspora groups - marked the event. Colourful posters had been shared inviting devotees to honour the occasion and celebrations involved flowers, sweets and music. There were also some celebrations in Muslim-majority Dubai - where Indians are a significant population - but from Indian news reports these appeared more muted than elsewhere.

In 2019, the Supreme Court gave the disputed land to Hindus after a protracted legal battle followed the mosque's demolition. Muslims were given a plot outside the city for a mosque but have yet to build one.

One member of the community the BBC spoke to in Ayodhya ahead of Monday's inauguration agreed that Hindus have the right to build the temple after the Supreme Court gave them the site.

"We did not accept that decision happily, but what can we do," he said. Another man said he was happy Hindus are building the temple - "but we are also sad because it was built after destroying a mosque".

The new three-storey temple - made with pink sandstone and anchored by black granite - stretches across 7.2 acres in a 70-acre complex. A 51-inch (4.25-ft) statue of the deity, specially commissioned for the temple, was unveiled last week. The idol has been placed on a marble pedestal in the sanctum sanctorum.

Thousands of police were deployed for Monday's event, despite Mr Modi having appealed to pilgrims not to turn up and to watch the ceremony on television. In many states a full or half day holiday was called, with schools and colleges closed and stock markets shut.

The build-up to a demolition that shook India

The man who helped Lord Ram win the Ayodhya case

But a sour note was struck with some top religious seers saying that as the temple was not yet complete, it was against Hinduism to perform the rituals there, and many opposition leaders deciding to stay away.

Some opposition-ruled states also announced their own plans for the day - West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said she would pray at the iconic temple to goddess Kali in Kolkata and then lead an all-faith rally. The eastern state of Odisha (Orissa) unveiled huge plans to bring pilgrims to the Jagannath temple in Puri, one of the holiest sites for Hindus.

Authorities say they expect more than 150,000 visitors per day once the temple in Ayodhya is fully ready.

To accommodate this expected rush, new hotels are being built and existing ones spruced up as part of a major makeover and in recent weeks, a new airport and railway station have opened.

Officials say they are building a "world-class city where people come as pilgrims and tourists", but many local people have told the BBC that their homes, shops and "structures of religious nature" have been either completely or partially demolished to expand roads and set up other facilities.