The Ram Temple Trust has extended invitations to 7,000 individuals, among them cricket icons Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli, Hindi movie superstar Amitabh Bachchan, and prominent industrialists Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani, for the consecration ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, sources said on Wednesday (6).
Actors Arun Govil and Dipika Chikhlia, who played the roles of Lord Ram in the famous TV serial "Ramayan", have also been invited to the ceremony that will be held on January 22, 2024.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already been invited. The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has sent invitations to 7,000 people, including 3,000 VVIPs, for the consecration.
The families of kar sevaks killed in the police firing in Ayodhya will also be invited to the ceremony, the sources said. Among the VVIPs are RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, Yoga guru Ramdev, industrialists Mukesh Ambai, Ratan Tata, and Gautam Adani, they said.
The trust has also invited 4,000 seers from across the country.
Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust general secretary Champat Rai said, "Efforts are also being made to invite one representative each from 50 countries for the consecration ceremony."
"Family members of the 50 kar sevaks who lost their lives during the Ram temple movement have also been invited. Invitations have also been sent to judges, scientists, writers, and poets," he said.
Besides, saints, priests, shankaracharyas, religious leaders, former civil servants, retired Army officers, lawyers, musicians and Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan awardees have been invited.
VHP spokesperson Sharad Sharma said, "We have also invited journalists who supported the Ram temple movement through their newspapers, writings and reporting. Without them, this struggle for the Ram temple would have been incomplete."
VVIPs will get entry through bar code passes. "Out of the 7,000 invitees, about 4,000 will be religious leaders from across the country and the remaining 3,000 will be VVIPs from different areas. A registration link will be shared with the invitees ahead of the ceremony. Once they register, a bar code will be generated and it will serve as the entry pass," Sharma said.
Champat Rai, secretary of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, said, "Ramlala will be seated in the Ram temple as a 5-year-old boy. For this, three idols are being carved from two rocks -- one each from Karnataka and Rajasthan."
"The idols are 90 per cent ready and are being given the final touches. The most attractive idol will be selected for consecration," said Champat Rai.
(PTI)
During the hearing, Clifford denied all the charges except for the rape charge, which was added to the indictment at the session. (Photo: Hertfordshire Police /Handout via REUTERS)
Man pleads not guilty to murder of BBC presenter's family
A 26-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to charges of murdering the wife and two daughters of BBC sports commentator John Hunt in a crossbow and knife attack.
Kyle Clifford, who also faces charges of rape, appeared via video link at Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday.
Clifford, arrested in July after a manhunt, is charged with three counts of murder, one count each of rape and false imprisonment, and two counts of possessing offensive weapons – a 10-inch knife and a crossbow.
During the hearing, Clifford denied all the charges except for the rape charge, which was added to the indictment at the session.
He is expected to enter a plea for that charge at a later date.
The victims were Carol Hunt, 61, wife of horseracing commentator John Hunt, and their daughters Louise, 25, and Hannah, 28.
An earlier hearing revealed that Louise had been found tied up and that both she and her sister had been shot with a crossbow, while their mother had been stabbed with a knife.
The fatal attack occurred at the family’s home in Bushey, a commuter town near Watford, northwest of London.
(With inputs from AFP)