December 1992: A hotelier recalls Ayodhya, his Ambassador car

Ayodhya, December 3 : At the peak of the tension surrounding Ayodhya 25 years ago, a humble white Ambassador car became a trusted ally for Anant Kumar Kapoor, helping him in carrying food and other essential commodities he required to run his hotel packed with journalists in the town under curfew.
Kapoor, now 71, is one of the directors of Shan-E-Awadh hotel in Faizabad district, under which the Ayodhya town falls. He had provided accommodation to journalists from India and abroad who had gathered in Ayodhya to cover the Ram Mandir movement. The hotel, located opposite the office of the newly-created Ayodhya Municipal Corporation, was established in 1986. Kapoor, then 46, looked after the hotel’s operations.
“More than 100 journalists from India and abroad were staying in the hotel. The entire hotel was full of journalists. We had to put extra cots in most of the rooms to accommodate those who could not get any room,” Kapoor said, vividly recalling those days in December 1992.
On December 6 that year, a large number of ‘Kar Sevaks’ — religious volunteers —  had gathered in the temple town and demolished the 16th-century Babri Masjid, sending ripples across the country.
Riots followed the demolition and curfew was imposed on Ayodhya.
“The curfew pass issued by the district administration and the white Ambassador car virtually proved to be a lifeline for me, and helped in collecting raw materials, food items, and other essential commodities for those staying at the hotel. I had to go to the outskirts of Faizabad to collect the items,” he said.