"Controversy Surrounds Construction of Hindu Temple on Former Mosque Site in India"
The long-awaited consecration of the Ram Mandir, a grand Hindu temple in Ayodhya, northern India, built on the site of the former Babri mosque, is set to take place on 22 January, amid heightened communal tensions. The demolition of the mosque in 1992 by Hindu extremists has sparked a series of threats to Islamic heritage sites across India, with multiple mosques facing the prospect of destruction as Hindu nationalists emboldened by the Ayodhya events seek to assert their influence. The construction of the temple, a key promise of the ruling BJP, has been marred by controversies and legal battles, while experts argue that there is no conclusive archaeological evidence of a temple underneath the mosque.
