Shankaracharya released
VARANASI: A leading Hindu religious leaders Shankaracharya Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati was released on Wednesday 10 days after he was detained for apprehension of breach of peace because of his plans to lay the foundation stone of a Hindu temple in Ayodhya, at the site of a historic mosque.
An attempt by his followers to perform the “shilanyas” (foundation stone lying) of the temple on Monday was foiled by the authorities who detained about 150 of them.
The detention rocked parliament even as demonstrators, strikes bandhs and fasts were held all over Hindu India condemning his arrest and demanding his release.
Parliament expressed concern on the “inflammatory situation” developing out of the threat of supporters of the Shankaracharya.
The issue came up in both houses with communist and Janata Dal members demanding that the Shilanyas should not be carried out.
A day long general strike was organized at Bhavnagar, in the west coastal state of Gujarat to protest against the detention and a sit in held before the prime minister’s residence here by the Vishwa. Hindu Parishad to “remind” him that three of the four months sought for resolving the Ram Janam Bhoomi Babri Masjid issue had already elapsed.
‘The temple has been the bone of contention between fundamentalist Hindus and Muslims of the country, each claiming it.
The spot, which Hindus believe marks the spot of the birth of Lord Ram and where a temple once existed, now houses the Babri Masjid, built by the first Moghul emperor Babur.
The controversy was led to violent communal riots all over the country and was the election war cry of all parties at the general elections in November last year.
Article extracted from this publication >> May 18, 1990
