NEW DELHI, Feb 22: An Indian Muslim organization vowed on Friday to rebuild a 16th century mosque whose demolition by Hindu zealots nine years ago sparked communal riots that claimed around 2,000 lives.

Mohammed Younus Siddiqui, president of the All Indian Babri Masjid Re-Building Committee (AIBMRC), said a rally beginning in New Delhi on March 10 would culminate in the northern town of Ayodhya, where the mosque was razed on Dec 6, 1992.

“There we will begin the re-construction of the Babri mosque,” said Siddiqui, saying such a move was necessary to protect the religious freedoms guaranteed by India’s constitution.

The Babri mosque was demolished at the end of a long campaign led by India’s now ruling right-wing Hindu nationalist BJP party and its ally, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP or World Hindu council).

The Hindus claim the mosque was built by a Moghul king after demolishing a temple dedicated to the Hindu god Ram.

Since the demolition, the site of the razed mosque has been under court protection as the VHP has stepped up its campaign to build a Ram temple on the ruins.

The VHP has set a March 15 deadline after which they plan to begin the temple’s construction with or without legal sanction.

The AIBMRC, one of several Muslim organizations who have challenged the Hindu nationalists’ claims, has decided to collect “one brick and one rupee (two cents)” as voluntary donations from those wishing to help in the mosque’s reconstruction.

Each year on Dec 6, Siddiqui and his supporters take a protest march from New Delhi towards Ayodhya in a bid to re-build the mosque. Each time, however, they are stopped by police on the outskirts of the capital.—AFP