A Muslim cleric said he was under a “fatwa” for attending the Ram Lalla ceremony at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

Dr Umer Ahmed Ilyasi, chief imam of the All India Imam Organization, said those who love him and the country will support him, while those who hate my participation in the ceremony should probably go to Pakistan.

“As Chief Imam, I received an invitation from Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra. I meditated for two days and then decided to go to Ayodhya, for the sake of harmony, for the sake of the country… The fatwa was issued yesterday, but I started from 1 I have received threatening phone calls since the night of March 22nd…I recorded some phone calls in which the callers threatened my life…Those who love me and love the country will support me.” Arnie.

The cleric further stated that he had not committed any crime and would not apologize or resign.

“Those who hate me for attending the ceremony should probably go to Pakistan. I sent a message of love, I did not commit any crime… I will not apologize or resign, they can do whatever they want…” he said.

Ayodhya talks about “Crowd No. 9”: Braving the cold, devotees flock to the Ram Temple; 1.9 million tourists were received in 6 days

Over 200,000 ‘Ram Bhakts’ flocked to Ayodhya on Sunday to seek blessings from the god and visit the majestic temple. Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust officials also said that around 1.9 million devotees have visited the Ram Mandir in the past six days since the pran pratistha (consecration) ceremony was held on January 22.

On Sunday, people braved the biting cold and started pouring in at 3 a.m., officials said. Apart from the locals of Ayodhya, pilgrims from neighboring districts such as Gonda, Gorakhpur, Barabanki, Lucknow and Hardoi also come to seek the blessings of Lord Ram.

“On Sunday, the sixth day of Ram Lalla ‘darshan’ (viewing), 2.25 lakh devotees visited the temple. This takes the total number of devotees who visited in the last six days to 19 lakh.” Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP ) said Champat Rai, Vice President and Secretary General of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.

The highest number of visitors occurs on January 23 – the day when the temple gates open to the public. On that day, more than 500,000 believers gathered in the temple to pray, causing chaos. Since then, however, visitor numbers have remained around 150,000 to 250,000 a day, officials said.

On the instructions of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, a committee has been formed to ensure smooth and hassle-free darshan for devotees of the Ram temple. The temple administration has also set up waiting areas to accommodate pilgrims to avoid chaos.

Officials of the temple trust and district administration said efforts are on to ensure that devotees who come to Ayodhya stay there and visit other parts of the town. There are currently 17 hotels here and 73 more are under construction. Of these, construction work is ongoing on about 40 of them. Some of India’s largest hotel chains have already made plans to enter Ayodhya and open hotels here, officials said.