Thousands of streetlights stolen in Indian holy town
Thousands of streetlights have been stolen in Ayodhya, a sacred town for Hindus in India’s Uttar Pradesh state, local media reported on Wednesday, citing a police complaint.
A report filed last week mentioned the theft of 3,800 bamboo lights installed on trees along Ram Path and 36 projector lights installed on Bhakti Path. The two streets run through the center of the town where Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a roadshow earlier this year, ahead of the much publicized inauguration of a temple dedicated to the deity Ram, who is believed to have been born in the town.
The cost of the stolen lights is estimated at around 5 million rupees (almost $60,000), according to the Hindustan Times. According to the contractor who filed the complaint, “all the lights were there till March 19, but after an inspection on May 9, it was found that some lights were missing.”
Ayodhya was in the limelight earlier this year during the lavish inaugural ceremony of the Ram temple. Around 8,000 guests, including politicians, celebrities, and business leaders attended the ceremony.
The Modi-led government allotted $3.85 billion for the transformation of Ayodhya as part of the construction of the temple. The facelift has come in the form of swankier hotels, improved roads, and railway facilities, as well as the town’s own international airport capable of handling a million passengers annually. The temple itself, made of pink sandstone and black granite, was built for around $216 million.
Notably, Ayodhya has been the site of a major dispute between the majority Hindus and minority Muslims in India. Many believed it was originally the location of a Hindu temple that was demolished to construct a Babri Masjid mosque some five centuries ago. The mosque was removed by Hindu nationalists in 1992, triggering communal riots as well as a decade-long legal debate over the rights to the sacred site.
In 2019, the Supreme Court ordered that the disputed land be handed over for the construction of a Hindu temple, while the Muslim side would be compensated with five acres of land in another prominent site in the town.
