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AYODHYA, INDIA, March 14, 2002: Indian security forces have put on a massive show of strength in Ayodhya as Hindus prepare to hold special prayers at a disputed holy site in defiance of a Supreme Court ban. More than 2,000 police and paramilitary troops marched through the northern town, hours after a senior Hindu leader vowed that the ceremony would go ahead. Mahant Paramhans Ramchandra Das, who is spearheading the campaign to build a temple on the site of the razed Babri mosque (built upon the birthplace of Lord Rama), said devotees would gather at the site on Friday. His statement followed a determined pledge by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee to uphold Wednesday’s court order barring all religious activity at the site. The BBC’s Adam Mynott says authorities have raised security to unprecedented levels, determined that the showdown does not spark an explosion in communal violence. “We will do puja… even if the government shoots me,” the 92-year-old was quoted as saying by the Reuters news agency. Security forces have all but sealed off Ayodhya, with police stationed at every street corner and armed officers on rooftops.

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