Members from the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP), the ruling conservative social gathering in India, staged a protest Wednesday in India’s  Karnataka state over the arrest of a Karnataka resident for his suspected involvement within the controversial post-Babri Mosque demolition riots in 1992.

The protests have been referred to as by the Karnataka BJP chief BY Vijayendra within the aftermath of the arrest of a person from Hubbali, Karnataka, who’s alleged to have been concerned within the 1992 riots that occurred within the aftermath of the demolition of the Babri Mosque in Ayodhya. The chief, in an announcement to the press, said:

Karnataka govt is proving time and again that it’s an anti-Hindu Government Yesterday in Hubballi, they reopened a 31-year-old case and Hindu employee Srikant Poojari was arrested, we strongly condemn this. We are calling for an enormous protest all through the state primarily in Freedom Park tomorrow towards the Anti-Hindu govt, Anti-Hindu Siddaramaiah…

Meanwhile, Chief Minister of Karnataka Siddaramaiah, a frontrunner from the Indian National Congress, has refuted the allegations and stated that he has instructed the police to handle outdated instances involving wrongdoers. Emphasising a dedication to avoiding hate politics, he assured that no harmless people had been arrested and that actions would align with court docket directives.

The Ayodhya dispute centres round a 1500 sq. yard plot within the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, claimed because the birthplace of the Hindu god Ram and the positioning of the Babri Masjid, a mosque constructed by Mughal ruler Babur within the sixteenth century. Since 1857, Hindus and Muslims have contested its possession, resulting in violent incidents. In 1992, the mosque was demolished by Hindu pilgrims, sparking nationwide violence. In 2002, the burning of a prepare carrying Hindu pilgrims and subsequent riots in Gujarat resulted in vital casualties, with accusations towards then-Chief Minister Narendra Modi, who was later cleared.

The Supreme Court of India delivered a unanimous verdict within the long-standing land case in 2019, favouring the Hindus. After thorough scrutiny of historic and archaeological proof, the court docket concluded that almost all of the proof supported Hindu claims to the positioning. The ruling instructed the Indian authorities to ascertain a belief for the administration of the land and the eventual building of a Ram temple. Additionally, the court docket mandated the allocation of 5 acres of land elsewhere in Ayodhya to Muslims to assemble a mosque as a substitute for the Babri Masjid.

The completion of the Ram Temple building, set for consecration on January 22, has revived political tensions surrounding the difficulty, significantly with the upcoming common elections scheduled for April and May.