Indore’s Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargav used a threatening tone, compelling malls, restaurants, and institutions in the city to install a replica of the Ram Temple at their locations before the January 22 consecration.
The statement came 15 days after Bhargava wrote to all shopkeepers and mall administrations in Indore to install a replica of the Ram temple from January 15-21.
During a media briefing on Monday after the mayor’s council meeting, he threatened, saying, “Those unwilling to cooperate will face consequences from the citizens of Indore. This is for the cause of Ram and Ram Rajya.”
He further said, “Santa Claus statues and Christmas trees have been installed at many places in the city since December 25. If you have no objection to installing that, then there should be no objection to installing a replica of Ram Temple.”
In a threatening tone, Bhargava also said, “If anyone exhibits non-cooperation without any reason in this festivity filled with devotion for Ram, then the citizens of Indore know how to respond, and they will teach a lesson.”
As per the Mayor, “consecration of the Ram Temple is work towards Ram Rajya” and he did not think anyone should have an objection to it.
Locals told Maktoob that a group of Hindus are reaching to people’s houses with a demand to light clay lamps on the roofs of their houses on the eve of 22nd January.
However, regarding the installation of a replica of the Ram Mandir, no physical forced incident has taken place yet.
Mohammad Ubaid told Maktoob, “A group of people in the evening is going to the houses of Hindus requesting them to lit clay lamps for the Ram Mandir inauguration”
“They are also giving yellow rice (one kind of prasad) to people”, he added.
He said, “So far, no Muslim households are forced to do so.”
He also said that the area is always sensitive and communally charged here but the situation right now is normal.
The consecration ceremony (pran pratishtha) of the Ram Temple is scheduled to be held on 22 January.
The temple stands where the Babri Masjid, which was torn down by a mob of Hindu nationalists on December 6, 1992, earlier stood.
The construction began after the Supreme Court of India on 09 November 2019 ordered the entire land to be allocated for the temple, granting amnesty to the perpetrators of the demolition.
