Religion

Hindus in NY celebrate construction of temple at razed mosque site in India

New York, Aug 5 (EFE/EPA).- Supporters of Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, gathered Wednesday in Times Square to celebrate the inauguration of the construction of a Hindu temple in honor of mythological Hindu god-king Ram.The contruction of the temple will take place at a contested site in the northern city of Ayodhya where a 16th-century mosque was razed by a fanatic Hindu mob in 1992 that sparked one of India’s bloodiest communal riots. The movement for the construction of a grand temple to replace the medieval Babri mosque at the site believed to be Lord Ram's birthplace became the symbol of a Hindu resurgence for the right-wing politics and played a key role in the rise of Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party in the 1980s and 1990s when its leaders organized nationwide marches.Along with the construction of the temple to replace the mosque, the BJP had long listed the revocation of Kashmir’s special autonomy.Modi has justified the Kashmir move to fully integrate it with the rest of India as necessary for the peace and prosperity of the troubled region. (Camera: ALBA VIGARAY)FOOTAGE SHOWS THE GATHERING OF HINDUS IN TIMES SQUARE, NEW YORK, US. SOUNDBITES OF HINDU DEVOTEES IN NEW YORK (IN ENGLISH)