December 6, 30 years ago, saw the destruction of the 16th-century Babri Masjid in Ayodhya. Since then, the issue has dominated Indian politics and given rise to several legal disputes between Muslim and Hindu religious organizations.
The events that led to the mosque’s demolition were what spurred the fervour behind the construction of the Ram Temple on the site of the Babri Masjid. In this article, we will delve into everything there is to know about what happened to Babri Masjid.
What Happened To Babri Masjid?
Mir Baqi, the commander of the Mughal emperor Babur, constructed the mosque in 1528. The British governor built a fence in 1859 to divide the places of prayer, with Muslims using the inner court and Hindus using the outside court. Problems started long before 1992. In 1885, during British control, the first-ever lawsuit about the Ram Janmabhoomi controversy was filed.
Mahanth Raghubar Das filed a complaint in the Council against the Secretary of State for India, requesting authorization to build a temple dedicated to Lord Ram in Ayodhya. In Ayodhya, Janam Ashthan is among the oldest pieces of land that are being litigated.
Although the trial court in Faizabad supported the plaintiff’s claim to construct a temple at the location thought to be Sri Ram’s birthplace, the plea was rejected because the incident happened 356 years ago and “it is too late” to seek redress.
Regrettably, a masjid was constructed on land that Hindus specifically hold sacred, but since it happened 356 years ago, it is too late to make amends. District Judge Faizabad dismissed the appeal, stating that the only thing that could be done was to keep the parties in the status quo. As a result, there has been an increase in community tension between the two factions over the years due to various incidents.
Since Babar was a Sunni, the Commissioner of Waqfs proclaimed the land to be Sunni property in 1944. Muslims complained and filed a lawsuit in 1949 when a Ram idol was discovered within the mosque. Hindus launched a countersuit, which prompted the government to close the gate and declare it contested.
Hindu priests filed multiple lawsuits between 1950 and 1959, requesting the ability to hold puja and install idols inside the building. In 1959, Nirmohi Akhara launched a lawsuit seeking genuine control over the property and the final verdict came November 9, 2019.
#BabriMasjid in India – The Case & Islamic Viewpoint
The Supreme Court of India gave its final verdict on 09 November 2019 on the lawsuit, commonly known as Babri Masjid Issue or Ayodhya Issue. The suit, that ran for decades, was the for the ultimate possession of 2.77 acres… pic.twitter.com/00yZRY8T7m
— Muslim Hind🔻 (@Al_HindMuslims) December 6, 2023
The Rath Yatra Of Advani
The effort to establish a Ram temple on the land next to the disputed mosque began in 1989 as a result of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s (VHP) growing demands to “liberate” the birthplace of Lord Ram and erect a temple in his honour.
Desperate to get the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya underway, the VHP set October 30 as the action date in the 1990s. However, between September 25 and October 30, LK Advani, the president of the BJP with the longest tenure, led a 10,000-kilometer ratha yatra through ten states, from Somnath to Ayodhya, which permanently altered the political landscape of the state.
6th December 1992: Today marks 30 years of the demolition of the Babri Masjid, one of the darkest chapters in Independent India.
This map shows the trail of destruction left behind by the Advani’s Rath Yatra from 15th September 1990 to 30th October 1990. All in the name of God. pic.twitter.com/oknqyCxmsp
— Advaid അദ്വൈത് (@Advaidism) December 6, 2022
This was the main electoral platform of the BJP in 1989 as well. Advani rode in an air-conditioned Toyota chariot with saffron bands and trishuls, holding a bow. The scenario appeared straight out of the Mahabharata television series.
Advani travelled to 600 villages in Gujarat with the help of Narendra Modi. According to a Frontline story, even A.B. Vajpayee, who was not entirely in favour of the yatra, was taken aback by the kind of reception Advani received, with people patting his feet and hurling cash at his chariot. However, he acknowledged that it had struck a chord with others. In just a few years, the Yatra, the largest-ever mass mobilization of Hindutva forces, would propel the BJP to political dominance.
Needless to say, after Advani’s rath yatra, communal rioting started. Advani, however, was airlifted out of Bihar after being detained on October 23 by the National Security Act. And the yatra had arrived in Ayodhya with 75,000 Kar sevaks.
40,000 kar sevaks arrived at the bridge that leads to Ayodhya on the appointed day when they intended to hold their rally next to the masjid. However, several Kar sevaks ascended the masjid to demolish it. But on Mulayam Singh’s orders, the police opened fire on them, starting a brawl that resulted in the deaths of multiple kar sevaks.
Reviewing The Day
However, this was not the situation on December 6, 1992. On a Sunday, Cloud made his home in the location where three domes formerly stood. An article in India Today claimed that the scenes would reappear “like deranged ghosts” to “haunt those of us who were at the graveside to witness the burial of a secular dream.”
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A sizable group of kar sevaks surrounded the mosque at approximately eleven in the morning, yelling, “Mandir yehi Banega (We will build a temple here).” The three domes of the Babri Masjid had been “submerged” by kar sevaks shortly after noon. Attacks were made on journalists. The domes fell, one by one.
It is reported that more than 1.5 lakh kar sevaks participated in the mosque’s demolition and that the ensuing riots across the nation claimed more than 2,000 lives. On that day, BJP officials including Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, and Uma Bharti gave speeches at a gathering organized by the RSS and its affiliates at the location of the disputed construction, which drew 150,000 supporters from the VHP and BJP.
The audience began yelling slogans within the first several hours of the demonstration. At about noon, a young guy holding a saffron flag was able to sneak past the perimeter and climb the structure itself in preparation for the attack. The crowd used this as a signal and attacked the building.
Because they were greatly outnumbered and unprepared for the scope of the onslaught, the police cordon broke. With axes, hammers, and grappling hooks in hand, the crowd descended upon the edifice, levelling the entire sixteenth-century mud and chalk structure in a matter of hours. For more fascinating and up-to-date news, like this one, follow Digi Hind News.
