Demolition of Babri Masjid: 28 years ago in India that day and much more was broken

Photo of Babri Masjid taken on December 6

Exactly 28 years ago today, on December 6, 1992, Hindu extremists demolished the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya. In addition to the Babri Masjid, many other mosques and properties were demolished in the riots that took place that day.) Or the fire. Read the eyewitness account of this incident.

After a long period of 25 years, as soon as I remember December 6, I find myself on the roof of Mans Bhawan and the whole scene of the demolition of Babri Masjid comes to mind.

Mans Bhawan is the same Dharamshala where I stayed once in 1982, ten years before the incident. A journalist friend showed the controversial Babri Masjid with kirtan bhajans on a platform outside and people bowed in front of the imaginary places of 'Sita Rasoi' (Sita's kitchen) and Ram's 'Kharawan'

This Ram Chabotra has long been occupied by the Nirmohi arena of the Ramanandi sect. Nirmohi Akhara has been fighting a legal battle to build a temple there for more than a hundred years.

Idol inside the mosque

Statues of Ram were placed in the premises of the mosque at the behest of the District Magistrate

A childhood statue of Ram was placed inside the mosque between the nights of December 22 and 23, 1949 with the help of the District Magistrate.

The then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru ordered the removal of the statue from the mosque but the district magistrate refused to comply.

From then on, the court sealed off the mosque and appointed a caretaker. A police guard was posted outside and a priest appointed by the court used to worship there.

Parties with the ideology of the Sangh Parivar, or Hindutva, have long sought an issue that would unite the caste-divided Hindu community. It is said that the movement for independence of Ram Janmabhoomi was started in 1984 for the same purpose.

As a result of this campaign, on February 1, 1986, the court unlocked the disputed premises. In response, the Babri Masjid Action Committee was formed.

Meanwhile, the matter left the district court and reached the Lucknow High Court.

In the hope of reconciliation before the 1989 general elections, the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi laid the foundation stone of the Ram Temple about 200 feet from the mosque.

Rajiv Gandhi lost the election while all efforts for reconciliation in the government of VP Singh and Chandrasekhar proved futile

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LK Advani's storm:

There have been fires on this occasion and before

Lal Krishna Advani, a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), set off a political storm by launching a rath yatra from the Somnath temple in Gujarat to the Ram temple.

In 1991, the Congress regained power in Delhi and PV Narasimha Rao became the Prime Minister, but the Ram Mandir movement led to the first Kalyan Singh-led BJP government in Uttar Pradesh, India's largest state. ۔

Kalyan Singh filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court that he would protect the mosque, after which the court allowed the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) to carry the symbolic car.

On the other hand, the leaders of VHP and BJP had traveled around the country and swore to destroy the Babri Masjid.

To encourage them, Kalyan Singh had announced that the police would not open fire on carjackers.

Earlier in 1990, Mulayam Singh Yadav had opened fire on cars and guarded the mosque.

The Kalyan Singh government had given 42 acres of land to the VHP for the construction of the proposed Ram Park near the disputed campus.

In addition, in the name of promoting tourism, the land of many temples and Dharmashalas was acquired and paved, and a wide road was constructed from the Faizabad-Ayodhya highway directly to the disputed site.

A temporary temple was built on the rubble of the Babri Masjid

Tents were erected adjacent to the disputed compound to accommodate caravans from across the country. Hoes, shovels and ropes were also brought in to install them, which were later used to climb and break the dome of the mosque.

Overall, the area around the disputed site was occupied by carjackers. They had expressed their aggression four or five days ago by damaging some nearby shrines and setting fire to Muslim houses.

Despite this, Supreme Court-appointed observer District Judge Prem Shankar Gupta was saying that all arrangements have been made for the peaceful conduct of the symbolic car at Siva.

The day before, on December 5, the VHP leader officially announced that there would be only symbolic Karsiva (worship). According to the decision, the Karsioks will bring water and sand from the Serju River and return after sacrificing it at the foundation stone site some distance from the mosque.

As soon as it was announced, anger spread among the car owners. When the top VHP leader reached Karsiokpuram, he was surrounded by enraged Karsioks and said goodbye. He said that whatever the leaders say, they will go after demolishing the real Karsiva, ie the mosque.

By evening, the carjackers had beaten up several TV reporters and cameramen

A case has been filed against key BJP leaders

On the other hand, BJP leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee encouraged the Karsioks at a general meeting, saying that the Supreme Court had allowed it.

Vajpayee left for Delhi by evening train while LK Advani and Dr Murli Manohar Joshi reached Ayodhya at night after holding talks with Chief Minister Kalyan Singh.

On the morning of December 6, while the slogans of 'J Shri Ram' were being chanted in Ayodhya, a large number of Central paramilitary forces in the Faizabad cantonment area were preparing to march towards Ayodhya as soon as the call came. The army and air force were also on surveillance.

It is a fact that the state government objected to his appointment, meaning that it was clear from the state government that force would not be used against carjackers.

The mosque was right in front of it on the roof of Mans Bhoon where we journalists were gathered. On the roof of the Janmabhoomi (place of birth) temple on the right were the Commissioner, DIG and senior police officers.

And to the left of Mans Bhoon was a public meeting at Ram Katha Kunj where Ashok Singhal, Advani, Joshi, Oma Bharti and other leaders were gathered.