Ayodhya Ram Temple construction plan suspended amid Indo-China border face-off

The Ram Mandir trust in Ayodhya has decided to put its plan to begin the construction of the temple on hold in light of the Indo-China border standoff at Galwan Valley in Ladakh in which 20 Indian soldiers were martyred.

In an official statement, the trust referred to the June 15 incident at the border as serious and said that defending the country was the “most important” thing to do. The trust said a new date will be announced soon.

“The decision to begin construction (of temple) will be taken according to the situation in the country and will be announced officially,” Anil Mishra, member of the trust told PTI.

This is the biggest ever military confrontation between the two armies in over five decades. In a statement, the Indian Army said that almost the same number of Chinese troops have been killed during the clashes in the Galwan Valley.

Meanwhile, several Hindu organisations led protests against China in Ayodhya. Some protesters burned the Chinese flag, some burned the effigy of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Chinese-made products were destroyed to register their protest.

On Friday, the United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo extended his condolences at the the death of 20 Indian Army soldiers killed in the violent clash with Chinese PLA at the Galwan Valley region of Ladakh.