Protests over Indian court ruling on disputed Ayodhya holy site

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• published: 28 Jul 2015
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1. Wide shot of demonstrators protesting at court verdict over Indian holy site, carrying banners, chanting 2. Mid shot protesters chanting, burning tyres 3. Protester chanting (Urdu): "Down with the Indian court!", crowd responds "Down with Indian judges!" 4. Close shot of burning tyre 5. SOUNDBITE: (English) Maroof Khan, protesting at decision of Indian court "The report given by the historical department of India was manipulated by them. It should be given by the international department of the history, or international department, and the international judiciary should give this decision and this case should be conducted in international judiciary. That's why I think the decision will be the basic step of Muslim and Hindu fights (inaudible), so it should be taken back and the case should be put into the United Nations or international judiciary." 6. Mid shot of protesters chanting and burning poster with photo of Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh 7. Protester chanting (Urdu): "Down with the Indian court!", crowd responds "Down with Indian judges!" 8. Mid shot of protesters burning Indian flag STORYLINE: For 150 years, Hindus and Muslims both claimed a site that is sacred to their religions, which triggered some of the worst rioting in India's history. On Thursday, a court came up with a compromise: Split it. Both sides said they would appeal, and the muted reaction to the potentially explosive verdict generated hopes that the increasingly confident country, with its growing regional clout and skyrocketing economy, has moved beyond its divisive history. Public reaction to the verdict was restrained, but there were protests. In the Pakistani city of Multan, protesters chanted anti-India slogans and burnt Indian flags and banners bearing the photo of Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh. Protesters said the matter should have been placed in the hands of the United Nations. In advance of the ruling, the Indian government had sent hundreds of thousands of police into the streets, arrested more than 10,000 people to keep them from inciting violence, and pushed another 100,000 to sign affidavits saying they would not cause trouble. The dispute over the religious site in the city of Ayodhya, 350 miles (550 kilometres) east of New Delhi, has been one of the country's most contentious issues. Hindus argued that the Babri Mosque erected there by Muslims in 1528 stood on the site of the birthplace of the Hindu god Rama, and they filed suit in 1950. In 1992, while the legal case lingered, tens of thousands of Hindu extremists ripped apart the mosque with spades, crowbars and their bare hands as security forces watched. A small tented shrine to Rama now stands on the site. The demolition sparked nationwide riots that killed 2,000 people and shook the foundations of India's claim to be a multi-ethnic, secular democracy. The High Court in the state of Uttar Pradesh ruled that the 64-acre (25-hectare) site should be split, one-third to the Muslim community and the rest to two Hindu groups. The Hindus will keep the area where the mosque once stood because the court determined it was the birthplace of Rama and archaeological evidence showed a temple had predated the mosque, according to the judgment. Hindus want to build an enormous temple to Rama on the site, while Muslims want to rebuild the mosque. The ruling will likely force both groups to scale down those plans. The court said the status quo should be maintained at the site for three months. In Ayodhya, Hindus rushed to nearby temples to give thanks, but the atmosphere throughout town was peaceful. In Lucknow, where the decision was issued, shops were closed, streets were deserted and police were on patrol in the hours after the verdict. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/a7539ce1b912c01853836bc899cac8af Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork