India to Buy Disputed Religious Site
NEW DELHI — The Indian government has decided to buy the site of a Muslim mosque destroyed by militant Hindus and build a mosque and a Hindu temple there, an official spokesman said Sunday.
The demolition of the mosque in the northern town of Ayodhya by Hindu militants earlier this month triggered a wave of sectarian violence across India.
More than 1,100 people died in the violence.
The spokesman said that the decision was made at a Cabinet meeting under the chairmanship of Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao.
“The government’s aim is to ensure that the balance of both communities is maintained,” the spokesman said.
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