Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi lays Ayodhya temple foundation

SANJAY KANOJIA / AFP

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has unveiled a plaque on Wednesday to kick off the construction of a Hindu temple in the northern city of Ayodhya.

It follows a Supreme Court verdict late last year that handed the site to the Hindu community in exchange for a plot given to the Muslim community, ending years of litigation.

This will be Modi's first visit to the site since becoming prime minister in 2014.

Numerous security officials guarded Ayodhya, with social distancing measures limiting the number of people at the main event site to 200.

More from International News

  • Israeli attacks on Gaza killed 60 people in 24 hours

    Israeli occupation forces committed multiple massacres against families in the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours, resulting in the killing of at least 60 Palestinians and the injury of 162 others, according to medical reports.

  • Trump fires National Security Agency director

    U.S. President Donald Trump fired General Timothy Haugh as director of the National Security Agency on Thursday, according to two officials familiar with the decision, and congressional Democrats denounced the removal of the nonpartisan official from a top security post.

  • Israel steps up Syria strikes, says Turkey aims for 'protectorate'

    Israel stepped up airstrikes on Syria, declaring the attacks a warning to the new rulers in Damascus as it accused their ally Turkey of trying to turn the country into a Turkish protectorate.

  • US sending Israel 20,000 assault rifles that Biden delayed

    The Trump administration moved forward with the sale of more than 20,000 US-made assault rifles to Israel last month, according to a document seen by Reuters, pushing ahead with a sale that the administration of former president Joe Biden had delayed.

Blogs