India braces for temple violence

Thousands of troops marched through Ayodhya on Thursday, aiming to deter a repeat of secular riots

NEW DELHI, India (CNN) -- Security forces are pouring into northern India and the town of Ayodhya, ahead of a deadline set by Hindu hardliners to pray near the disputed site of a demolished mosque.

A Supreme Court verdict on Wednesday bars the ceremony -- part of a program to build a Hindu temple on the site which is sacred to both Hindus and Muslims.

But that hasn't stopped several top Hindu leaders from maintaining that they will begin the ceremony as planned on Friday.

Hindu hardliners held an impromptu press conference on Thursday saying they intend to march to the spot where there used to be a mosque and lay a stone foundation for construction of a new Hindu temple.

Authorities say they expect about 2,000 people to take part in the march, adding that they will arrest any who join in the ceremony.

Thousands of troops marched through Ayodhya on Thursday, aiming to deter a repeat of secular riots, in which more than 700 are believed to have been killed in the last two weeks -- most in the western state of Gujarat.

Riot police

More than 10,000 police and paramilitary personnel in full anti-riot gear are deployed in and around the town.

FOCUS Rebuilding a temple's future  • Ayodhya: India's religious flashpoint    IN-DEPTH India's religious strife    RESOURCES Gallery: Aftermath of religious strife  Gallery: Hindu-Muslim violence flares up     CNN.com Asia More news from our Asia edition

Hindu radicals are still attempting to travel to Ayodhya from across the country even though the government has virtually sealed off the town with thousands of troops patrolling its streets

The Indian government has vowed to enforce the court ruling and the country's leader, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, again appealed for peace.

"I take this opportunity to appeal to all the political and nonpolitical organizations across the country to cooperate with government ... to maintain peace and communal harmony," Vajpayee told Parliament on Thursday.

The temple plan has the potential to re-ignite bloody Hindu-Muslim violence that erupted again last month when a train carrying Hindu activists was firebombed by suspected Muslims -- killing almost 60 people.

That act sparked secular rioting and mob violence, mainly in the state of Gujarat.

Torched alive

Paramhans Ramchandra Das, leader of the committee to build a Hindu temple in Ayodhya, participates in a prayer ceremony on Thursday

Hundreds of people were torched alive and buildings and homes razed until security forces gained control of the situation.

Although some estimates have the death toll at over 700, the exact figure is unknown as bodies, often charred beyond recognition, are still being recovered.

The temple issue has been in dispute for nine years since Hindus tore down the 16th century Babri mosque in Ayodhya amid claims that it had been built on the site of the birthplace of Rama -- a Hindu god.

The mosque's destruction triggered nationwide riots that left thousands dead.

Since then, a number of court battles and legal cases -- some still pending -- have taken place regarding the future of the site.

Many Hindu activists claim that they have the religious right to rebuild the temple and that cannot be decided by any court of law.

The government attempted to broker a compromise deal between Muslim and Hindu groups aimed at easing the simmering religious tensions but the proposal fell through.