Having failed to take out the Yatra, the VHP has now threatened a nationwide agitation from Monday. The state government claimed that 1,698 people were arrested on Sunday. ‘The day passed off peacefully with no untoward incident reported from anywhere in the state,’ home secretary Kamal Saxena said.
He said no one was allowed to take parikrama of 84-kosi. ‘The arrested persons will remain in police custody till 13 September,’ the official said. The 84-Kosi Yatra that was to start from Sunday was expected to end on 13 September – after covering a parikrama of 250 kms spread over six neighbouring districts.
Despite such a large scale arrest, the VHP leaders said that the Yatra was on and it would hold a protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Monday.
Meanwhile, within the VHP ranks there seemed to be no unanimity over the timing of the Yatra as one of the top priest of Ram Janmabhoomi Temple Sateyndra Das said the Yatra was politically motivated.
On the other hand, Vishwa Hindu Parishad international convener Ashok Singhal was arrested at the Lucknow airport. The officials earlier had decided to send back Singhal to Delhi but when he refused he was arrested and taken to Nababganj Bird Sanctuary guest house in the adjoining Unnao district.
The VHP leader remained inside the Lucknow airport for more than three hours after he alighted from a service flight. The VHP and Bajrang Dal activists, who had gathered in large numbers at the airport, raised anti-government slogans and even clashed with the police after they received the information of Singhal’s detention. Police had to use force to control the crowd at Lucknow airport.
All the roads to Ayodhya were sealed as saffron leaders were being arrested since Saturday night. Parikrama convenor Mahant Ramvilas Vedanti was taken into custody on Sunday morning from his residence when he was preparing to go out. VHP general secretary Praveen Togadia, who sneaked into Ayodhya on Saturday night, was arrested when he tried to commence the Yatra. ‘The UP government is trying to prevent Hindus from performing their religious duties. As a Hindu it is my right to perform Yatra now,’ he said.