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

The protests were called by the Karnataka BJP chief BY Vijayendra in the aftermath of the arrest of a man from Hubbali, Karnataka, who is alleged to have been involved in the 1992 riots that took place in the aftermath of the demolition of the Babri Mosque in Ayodhya. The chief, in a statement to the press, said:

Karnataka govt is proving again and again that it is an anti-Hindu Government Yesterday in Hubballi, they reopened a 31-year-old case and Hindu worker Srikant Poojari was arrested, we strongly condemn this. We are calling for a huge protest throughout the state mainly in Freedom Park tomorrow against the Anti-Hindu govt, Anti-Hindu Siddaramaiah…

Meanwhile, Chief Minister of Karnataka Siddaramaiah, a leader from the Indian National Congress, has refuted the allegations and stated that he has instructed the police to address old cases involving wrongdoers. Emphasising a commitment to avoiding hate politics, he assured that no innocent individuals had been arrested and that actions would align with court directives.

The Ayodhya dispute centres around a 1500 square yard plot in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, claimed as the birthplace of the Hindu god Ram and the site of the Babri Masjid, a mosque built by Mughal ruler Babur in the sixteenth century. Since 1857, Hindus and Muslims have contested its ownership, leading to violent incidents. In 1992, the mosque was demolished by Hindu pilgrims, sparking nationwide violence. In 2002, the burning of a train carrying Hindu pilgrims and subsequent riots in Gujarat resulted in significant casualties, with accusations against then-Chief Minister Narendra Modi, who was later cleared.

The Supreme Court of India delivered a unanimous verdict in the long-standing land case in 2019, favouring the Hindus. After thorough scrutiny of historical and archaeological evidence, the court concluded that the majority of the evidence supported Hindu claims to the site. The ruling instructed the Indian government to establish a trust for the management of the land and the eventual construction of a Ram temple. Additionally, the court mandated the allocation of five acres of land elsewhere in Ayodhya to Muslims to construct a mosque as a replacement for the Babri Masjid.

The completion of the Ram Temple construction, set for consecration on January 22, has revived political tensions surrounding the issue, particularly with the upcoming general elections scheduled for April and May.