PremiumUnder the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act of 1991, such structures must stay just as they were when India attained freedom. A failure on this would cast Indian priorities in doubt when we must focus on the challenge of our economic emergence.
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A court in Varanasi ordered the city’s Gyanvapi mosque sealed after rumours arose of an idol spotted on its premises. No authority confirmed any such sighting, but it led to a commotion around the site as word spread. The local court had asked for the filming of its architectural details while entertaining petitions of access for Hindu worship. Since our historical records indicate the construction of a mosque on the spot of a demolished temple in 1669 under Aurangzeb’s reign, any physical signs of its history should be no surprise.
India’s past has much that is indefensible, but what should concern us today is our future. The Ayodhya dispute hardened tensions for decades before the Supreme Court awarded that site for a temple on the grounds of likely longer Hindu occupation. It also held the 1992 demolition of the Babri mosque illegal. Under the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act of 1991, such structures must stay just as they were when India attained freedom. A failure on this would cast Indian priorities in doubt when we must focus on the challenge of our economic emergence. We should not let divisive distractions from the olden days get in the way.