Ayodhya: a history of violence

A Hindu woman walks with a child in a courtyard where building blocks for the proposed Rama temple are stacked in Ayodhya Photograph: Rajesh Kumar Singh/AP October 1990: Indian security forces guard the Babri mosque, closing off the disputed site at the centre of a major religious and political storm. Thousands of people intending to replace the mosque with a Hindu temple were arrested on their way to Ayodhya Photograph: Barbara Walton/AP 6 December 1992: Hindu fundamentalists attack the wall of the 16th-century mosque with iron rods. They believe the mosque was built after an existing temple at the site was destroyed, which Hindus say was built to commemorate the birthplace of Rama Photograph: Douglas E Curran/AFP/Getty Images Photograph: Douglas E. Curran/Action images 7 December 1992: Hindu fundamentalists shout and wave banners as they celebrate the destruction of the mosque Photograph: Douglas E Curran/AFP/Getty Images 8 December 1992: Police position themselves on a hill overlooking the ruins of the mosque. Behind is the temple being built to Rama. Police took control of the disputed site two days after Hindu activists demolished the mosque Photograph: Doug Curran/AFP/Getty Images 5 July 2005: An Indian soldier stands guard near the wreckage of a Jeep used in an attack on Ayodhya Photograph: Pawan Kumar/Reuters 6 July 2005: Sadhus – Hindu holy men – shout anti-government slogans in protest against a terrorist attack on the shrine in Ayodhya. Authorities tightened security at religious monuments across India to prevent sectarian clashes after the attack Photograph: Rajesh Kumar Singh/AP September 2010: Soldiers arrive at Ayodhya before the court ruling in case of violent protests over the verdict Photograph: Rajesh Kumar Singh/AP September 2010: A worker removes the dust off a model of the proposed Rama temple in Ayodhya Photograph: Rajesh Kumar Singh/AP September 2010: A Hindu man rides a motorcycle as police stand guard on the street Photograph: Adnan Abidi/Reuters September 2010: Schoolchildren hold placards calling for calm and peace during a rally in a Muslim neighbourhood of Mumbai Photograph: Indranil Mukherjee/AFP/Getty Images September 2010: A police officer offers prayers as a priest performs rituals at a Hindu temple in Ayodhya Photograph: Rajesh Kumar Singh/AP September 2010: A soldier from the Rapid Action Force patrols in an anti-riot vehicle as he passes a Hindu temple in Ayodhya Photograph: Gurinder Osan/AP September 2010: A woman sells flowers to pilgrims on the banks of the Saryu river in Ayodhya ahead of the verdict on the Babri mosque site Photograph: Manpreet Romana/AFP/Getty Images September 2010: Muslims take part in a peace rally in Mumbai Photograph: Rajanish Kakade/AP September 2010: Hindu devotees look at pillars meant for the construction of the temple in Ayodhya Photograph: Rajesh Kumar Singh/AP September 2010: Hindu holy men outside their residence at a temple in Ayodhya Photograph: Manpreet Romana/AFP/Getty Images September 2010: Indian schoolchildren take part in a rally in Mumbai, India, organised in an appeal to maintain peace amid the verdict of the Babri mosque case Photograph: Divyakant Solanki/EPA September 2010: A family watches a TV news channel in a room in Ayodhya Photograph: Mukesh Gupta/Reuters September 2010: Indian security personnel stand guard at Jama mosque in New Delhi Photograph: Prakash Singh/AFP/Getty Images September 2010: A boy watches security forces patrolling a road in Ayodhya Photograph: Mukesh Gupta/Reuters September 2010: A paramilitary trooper wearing riot gear stands guard on a road in Ayodhya Photograph: Mukesh Gupta/Reuters September 2010: A Hindu student sits for morning prayers in Ayodhya Photograph: Rajesh Kumar Singh/AP September 2010: Security personnel look on as a schoolboy walks past on a street in Ayodhya Photograph: AFP/Getty Images September 2010: Hindu holy men listen to radio news on the Ayodhya verdict in Mathura Photograph: AP September 2010: Hindu religious leaders watch television as they await news of the Ayodhya verdict Photograph: Rajesh Kumar Singh/AP September 2010: Lawyers representing pro-Hindu groups flash victory signs after the Ayodhya verdict in Lucknow Photograph: AFP/Getty Images September 2010: A Hindu priest celebrates after hearing the first reports of the Ayodhya verdict Photograph: Mukesh Gupta/Reuters September 2010: Hindus celebrate the Ayodhya verdict Photograph: AFP/Getty Images September 2010: Sadhus – Hindu holy men – hug each other to celebrate after hearing the first reports of the Ayodhya verdict Photograph: Mukesh Gupta/Reuters September 2010: Raheema Khatton (right), 93, offers prayers for nationwide peace along with family members in Hyderabad Photograph: Noah Seelam/AFP/Getty Images October 2010: An Indian Muslim man reads a newspaper with the long-awaited Ayodhya verdict in Hyderabad Photograph: Noah Seelam/AFP/Getty Images October 2010: An Indian woman prays amid stone bricks for the proposed Rama temple in Ayodhya Photograph: Diptendu Dutta/AFP/Getty Images October 2010: An Indian woman walks past stone pillars and structures for the proposed Rama temple in Ayodhya Photograph: Diptendu Dutta/AFP/Getty Images October 2010: Hindu nationalists in Amritsar, India, celebrate the Ayodhya verdict with firecrackers Photograph: AP October 2010: Indian Muslims offer prayers at a mosque in Ayodhya Photograph: DIPTENDU DUTTA/AFP/Getty Images October 2010: People in Multan, Pakistan, burn an Indian flag as they shout slogans during a protest against the Ayodhya verdict Photograph: Mk Chaudhry/EPA