New Delhi, November 23: Ahead of the scheduled Dharma Sabha on Sunday, organised by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) backed by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya town turned into a fortress, with the state government asking local police and administration to be extra vigilant. According to the police, over two lakh people are expected to arrive in the temple town on Sunday.

The organisers booked several trains, buses, tractor trolleys and taxis to ferry people from across the state to be part of the congregation. In view of the mega gathering,  which the VHP has announced would be "the last before the war bugle is sounded", heavy police force has been deployed in Ayodhya. The police have divided Ayodhya into eight zones and 16 sectors, with the number of provincial armed constabulary (PAC) from 20 to 48. Supreme Court Should Send Army to Ayodhya if Necessary: Akhilesh Yadav.

The Dharma Sabha will coincide with a two-day visit of Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray to Ayodhya. Shiv Sena jumped into the fray to whip up passions on the Ram temple. It also asked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to come out with an ordinance and declare a date for the construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. It was then Shiv Sena Chief Bala Saheb Thackeray who had proudly claimed that "brave" Shiv Sainiks razed the Babri mosque on December 6, 1992.

Government sources told news agency IANS that local intelligence units have been "alerted" and extra security deployment has been made ahead of the Shiv Sena chief's visit. Local residents especially Muslims are worried about the fact that many VHP and even the ruling BJP lawmakers have openly threatened a "repeat of 1992" on Sunday. Beria MLA Surendra Singh has publicly said that if things do not move fast towards an early announcement of the Ram temple, "they will not hesitate in taking law in their hands".

Iqbal Ansari, the lone Muslim litigant in the decades-old title suit of the Babri mosque-Ram Janmabhoomi case had recently said they were feeling insecure as the "atmosphere in Ayodhya was akin to 1992". The state government, led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, is treading with caution. On the one hand, the government has said that "Ram bhakts" can gather in Ayodhya and perform rituals, on the other, it has asked the police and the district administration to be extra vigilant, reported IANS.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 23, 2018 11:05 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).