Court splits holy site for Muslims and Hindus

AN Indian court ruled a disputed holy site that sparked bloody riots in the past should be divided between the Hindu and Muslim communities.

But in its compromise ruling, the court gave Hindus control over the area where the now-demolished Babri Mosque stood – and where a makeshift tent-shrine to the Hindu god Rama now rests.

While both Muslim and Hindu lawyers vowed to appeal, immediate reaction to the ruling was muted and it seemed unlikely to spark violence, as the government had feared.