Muslims feeling insecure in Ayodhya ahead of VHP, Sena rallies, says Babri case litigant

AYODHYA: Days ahead of the proposed rallies of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Shiv Sena in Ayodhya, Iqbal Ansari, one of the litigants the Ram Janmbhoomi-Babri Masjid title suit, has said the members of his community were felling insure and may be thinking of migrating out of the city. Ansari has also demanded security for his community. "As the VHP and Shiv Sena are gathering their activists in large numbers in Ayodhya, the Muslim community here is feeling very much insecure. We might migrate from Ayodhya," PTI quoted the litigant as saying. "We demand from the government to deploy special forces to protect the lives and properties of Muslims against the hooliganism of the VHP and Shiv Sena activists. They may attack us to serve their hidden agenda of making Ayodhya free of Muslims," he added. Iqbal Ansari is the son of Hashim Ansari, who was the main litigant in the Babri Masjid dispute. Hashim Ansari passed away in 2016 at the age of 95. Iqbal Ansari took over the case. Two other Muslim plaintiffs also claimed that their community members were fearing threat to their lives and demanded security for them. Haji Mahboob too echoed Ansari's fears. "The Muslims of Ayodhya still remember December 6, when they were attacked. It is a fact that the Muslim population here is under the grip of fear against the possible attack by the activists of the two outfits. They are feeling quite insecure," he said. Mohammad Umar said the same. "We do not want any disturbance here as we want to live in peace. Ayodhya is our birthplace, we are here since generations. But we still remember how the VHP and Shiv Sena activists attacked Muslims after the demolition of Babri Masjid here on December 6, 1992" he said. Reacting to the Muslims' fears, Faizabad City Superintendent of Police Anil Kumar Singh sought to assure them of complete safety and security to their lives and property. "No one needs to be afraid of anything. We are arranging heavy security on the days for the proposed functions," he said. Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray had announced during party's Vijayadashami event that he'll visit Ayodhya to ask Prime Minister Narendra Modi questions regarding the BJP's promises of construction of a Ram temple at the disputed site. Thackeray will reach Ayodhya on November 24 to felicitate over 100 Hindu seers, he is scheduled to hold a massive rally the next day. Similarly, the VHP plans to hold a "sant sammelan" in Ayodhya on November 25. The two right-wing Hindu outfits have claimed that lakhs of their activists and Ram Bhakts would reach Ayodhya to participate in their respective functions.