Hundreds of seers, led by the Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad (ABAP), want ‘kirti stambhs (memorial pillars)’ to be built in Ayodhya and Prayagraj (near Sangam) with names of people who dedicated or lost their lives in the Ram temple movement.
ABAP is the apex decision-making body of 13 top Hindu sects in the country.
The seers plan to get a resolution passed by the Akhara Parishad in this regard and then send a formal proposal for the pillars to the Centre through the state government.
Parishad general secretary Swami Hari Giri said the struggle for Ram temple in Ayodhya continued for decades and many people lost their lives during it.
Take the example of former VHP chief Ashok Singhal who even gave his home for the struggle or Kothari brothers ((Ram Kumar and Sharad Kothari of Kolkata), who died in police firing in Ayodhya on November 2, 1990. Now that the construction for the temple is all set to start after the ‘bhoomi poojan’, we want ‘kirti stambhs’ to be constructed in their honour in Ayodhya and Prayagraj,” he said.
Giri said he has prepared a proposal for these ‘kirti stambhs’, including installation of a statue of Ashok Singhal, to be built near the Sangam with names of those who played important roles in the struggle engraved on it.
“The plan is to get the proposal passed by the Parishad members and then send it to the central government for implementation,” he claimed.
He also said that seers also want all cases registered against people during the struggle to be withdrawn.
“Now that this struggle for a Ram temple in Ayodhya is over, cases registered in connection with it should also be withdrawn. We have already made a formal request in this regard to the state government,” he said.
ABAP chief Mahant Narendra Giri said the seers have also decided to henceforth celebrate August 5 — the Ram temple ‘bhoomi poojan’ day – like Diwali every year.