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Day of prayers in Mumbai
By Mahesh Vijapurkar

MUMBAI, MARCH 15. It was prayers everywhere in the city - ``maha aarthi'' and ``Ram jap'' by Hindus and ``yaume dua'' (a day of prayer) by Muslims, even as the president of the Ramjanmabhoomi Nyas, Ramchandra Parmahans, performed ``shila daan'' in Ayodhya amid tight security.

The metropolis was full of police personnel, while across Maharashtra, as many as 8000 potential ``trouble-makers'' had been detained since yesterday. Today was a day of peace.

The Government said 117 ``maha aarthis'' were performed in Mumbai but the Vishwa Hindu Parishad put the figure at 749, which included the chanting of ``Ram naam,'' showering of flowers on idols in temples and cries of ``Jai Shri Ram,'' reminiscent of the run-up to the December 6 build-up in 1992. Though this coincided with the Friday namaaz, police vigil and restraint on the part of both the communities helped keep peace.

Since rumours were perceived as the worst enemies of the law-enforcement agencies, all cellphone-users got an SMS - short messaging service - caution from noon that the service was being suspended till 6 p.m.

All religious activities on the streets were banned for the day.

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