Muslim governor in India bows before Hindu deity at Ram Temple

It is not just a matter of happiness for us, instead it is a matter of pride, says Arif Mohammad Khan

Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan visited the newly-built Ram Temple on Wednesday and bowed in reverence before the Hindu deity, the Times of India reported.

"I came to Ayodhya twice in January. The feeling at that time is the same even today. I have come to Ayodhya many times. It is not just a matter of happiness for us, instead it is a matter of pride, that coming to Ayodhya and worshipping Shriram," the governor told reporters.

In a video posted on the official X handle of the Kerala Governor showing Mr Khan bowing before the idol of Ram Lalla. The chant 'Jai Shree Ram' could be heard in the background.

In the January of last year at an event organised by the Kerela Hindus of North America (KHNA) in Thiruvananthapuran, the governor expressed his grievances, "Why don’t you call me a Hindu? I don’t consider Hindu a religious term, Hindu is a geographical term."

Khan claimed that Sir Syed Ahmed Khan had appealed to the people to refer to him as a Hindu to lend credence to his assertion.

Read also: Hindus throng Ram temple in India's Ayodhya as it opens to the public

In January of this year Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the consecration of the Ram temple on the site of the demolished 16th century Babri Masjid.

The temple in the city of Ayodhya had been a contentious issue that helped catapult the BJP to prominence and power, and the deliverance on its 35-year-old promise.

In 2019, the Supreme Court handed over the land to Hindus and ordered allotment of a separate plot to Muslims where construction of a new mosque is yet to begin.