Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh: With just two days to go for the long-awaited verdict on the Babri Masjid-Ramjanmabhoomi dispute, an uneasy quiet has descended over Ayodhya town.

The dispute that dates back to the 19th century is scheduled to come to some kind of fruition with the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court set to issue its verdict on Friday.

Eighteen years after the demolition of the Babri mosque by Hindu radicals who believed that it was built on the site of the birthplace of the Hindu deity Ram, a stifling security blanket is all too apparent.

Gun-wielding Rapid Action Force and Central Reserve Police Force personnel march down the narrow streets and police around the disputed site are on high alert, disallowing visitors from even carrying combs, pen and paper.

Residents fear that the situation could quickly get as volatile as it did on December 6, 1992, when the mosque was demolished, triggering nationwide riots.

"The prevailing silence is very scary; you can see normal life is already disrupted and I would not be surpised at all if mischief mongers are already on the job to incite trouble," said Suphal Chandra who runs a sweetmeats shop.

Hindus in the town say they see no reason why the verdict would not go in their favour while Muslims are hoping that the judiciary would entitle them to their claim to the land so that the mosque could be rebuilt.

Mohammad Hashim Ansari, 90, the oldest Muslim litigant in the case, is worried about the politicking.

Without naming the Bharatiya Janata Party [BJP] and its allies, he said: "I have never collected any funds in the name of the Babri Masjid but it is no secret how many political outfits have minted money by keeping the Ayodhya issue alive for decades. We must guard against the designs of such elements."

Litigating parties hopeful

Ansari moved the local court in 1961 seeking the right to offer prayers in the mosque, where idols of Ram were introduced in 1949. It was Ansari's plea that led the court to order shutting of the gates to the disputed shrine that were only unlocked more than three decades later in 1986.

Though Ansari believes that the Muslim claim was based on far stronger evidence, he is quite emphatic about abiding by the court order. "What we need to profess and promote is that either party must abide by the order of the court."

Swami Ram Vilas Vedanti, a former BJP MP and a key member of the Ramjanmbhoomi Nyas (Trust) entrusted with the task of building a Ram temple, is confident that the verdict will go in their favour.

"How can the judgment go against us? How can we be denied the right to build a grand Ram temple in this Ram nagri [city], which is his birthplace?"

He added: "We are against any kind of violence but let me tell you Hindus will not remain quiet if there is any attack by terrorists who have struck here in the past."