New Babri Masjid will put Ayodhya’s Dhannipur village on the map, hope villagers

Residents of Dhannipur have expressed happiness over the allotment of land in the area for building a mosque to replace the demolished Babri Masjid, saying they are hopeful that their village will be known worldwide.

They also expressed hope that construction of the mosque would help in the development of the village.

According to Uttar Pradesh government spokesperson Shrikant Sharma, the state government has given the allotment letter to the Sunni Waqf Board for the land in Dhannipur village in Sohawal tehsil in Ayodhya on the Lucknow highway, about 18 km from the district headquarters.

The Supreme Court in a historic verdict on November 9 last year in the politically sensitive Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute case backed the construction of a Ram temple by a government trust at the disputed site in Ayodhya, and ruled that an alternative five-acre plot must be found for a mosque in the Hindu holy town.

Based on this verdict, the Centre had asked the Uttar Pradesh government to allocate 5 acres of land to the Sunni Waqf Board.

“Now our village will be famous as people from all over the globe would visit here to see the mosque and offer prayers. Not only Muslims, but Hindu community members are also ready to welcome the mosque and offer their assistance in its construction,” Rakesh Yadav, the pradhaan of Dhannipur village, told PTI.

Ayodhya BJP MLA Ved Prakash Gupta said, “I welcome the construction of a mosque in Dhannipur. I will be visiting there soon and meet members of the Muslim community. I offer my services and assistance in the construction of the mosque.”

Haji Saleem, a local businessman of the area, said the mosque will bring development to the village. “As the Hindu devotees from world will visit Ayodhya after the construction of a Ram temple, likewise, Muslims from all over the world will visit Dhannipur to offers prayers at the mosque. It will boost the local economy and bring development to the village,” Saleem said.

Another resident Aarti Devi said, “We already have four mosques in the village. Now, this grand mosque will give a new identity to the village. It will definitely bring good luck for the village.”