Half-Day Holiday Declared by Indian Army for Ayodhya Temple Ceremony

The Army Headquarters in New Delhi has announced a half-day holiday until 2.30 pm today, in accordance with the Union government‘s circular issued by the DoP&T on January 18. The circular mandates the closure of all Union government offices for the celebration of Ram Lalla Pran Pratishtha in Ayodhya.

Union government employees will receive half a day’s leave on January 22 to watch the live telecast of the event, as per an official notification issued by the government. The decision has received criticism from Left parties.

Several Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled states, including Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Tripura, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Assam, have declared a full-day holiday. Schools, colleges, and government offices will remain closed in these states. The Union territories of Puducherry and Chandigarh, under direct control of the Union government, have also announced a holiday. Odisha, governed by the Biju Janata Dal led by Naveen Patnaik, has granted a holiday as well.

Initially, Union government-run hospitals in Delhi had decided to shut down until 2.30 pm on January 22 due to the ‘pran pratishtha’ ceremony at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. However, after facing backlash, AIIMS has revoked its decision and stated that it will remain open.