World Hindu Council sticks with plans to build temple

(4 Mar 2002) 1. Hindu holy man and World Hindu Council leaders arriving at news conference 2. Pan from reporters to leaders at news conference 3. SOUNDBITE (Hindi) Mahant Ramvilas Vedanti, Hindu holy man "We will not change our decision. On March 15, at two 15 pm, we will start transferring pillars for temple construction to the undisputed site .This decision is final." 4. Various of reporters 5. SOUNDBITE: (Hindi) Mahant Paramhans Ramchandra Maharaj, Ram Temple Trust "Our 100 day religious ritual for temple construction will go on." 6. Wide shot of news conference 7. SOUNDBITE: (Hindi) Ashok Singhal, World Hindu Council "We have already said that our religious ritual will last for 100 days. And within this time, we will start building the temple. I am informing all of you - the construction will begin." 8. Various of Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee (paying tribute to the speaker of the lower house of parliament who died in helicopter crash) 9. Various of Muslim leaders from different organisations at protest 10. Security at protest 11. Various of Muslim protest STORYLINE: The World Hindu Council on Monday rejected a government appeal to postpone their plan to begin construction of a temple at a site claimed by both Hindus and Muslims. The Council, along with a group of Hindu holy men spearheading the campaign, said they would not change their March 15 deadline. Hindu nationalists want to build a temple on a disputed site which lies at the ruins of a 16th century Muslim mosque. A mob of Hindu nationalists demolished the mosque in Ayodhya in 1992, sparking bloody riots that killed more than two thousand people across India. Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had pleaded to both Hindus and Muslims to let a court settle their rival claims to the land. But the World Hindu Council - who say the Ayodhya site is the birth place of god Ram - on Monday said it would start building the temple without official authorisation. Also on Monday, leaders of 22 Islamic groups held a sit-in demonstration to demand that the government put the army in charge of the western state of Gujarat. The Muslim groups accused the state's Hindu nationalist government of failing to protect the Muslim minority, who have been the chief victims of the recent violence. The campaign to build the temple in the northern town of Ayodhya sparked some of India' s worst religious bloodshed in a decade. Last Wednesday, Muslims set fire to a train carrying Hindu nationalists, killing 58. The deaths sparked days of religious violence, with the death toll reaching 544. Most of those killed have been Muslims. Muslims comprise nearly 14 percent of India's more than one (B) billion people. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...