| Demolition of the Babri Masjid | |
|---|---|
| Part of theAyodhya dispute | |
 Mob participating in Babri Masjid demolition on 6 December 1992 | |
  Ayodhya Ayodhya (India) | |
| Location | Ayodhya,Uttar Pradesh, India |
| Date | 6 December 1992; 32 years ago (1992-12-06) |
| Target | Babri Masjid |
Attack type | Riots |
| Deaths | 2,000 (including ensuing riots)[1] |
| Perpetrators | Vishva Hindu Parishad,Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh,Shiv Sena,Bharatiya Janata Party andBajrang Dal workers |
TheBabri Masjid, a 16th-centurymosque in the Indian city ofAyodhya, was destroyed on 6 December 1992 by a large group of activists of theVishva Hindu Parishad andallied organisations. The mosque had been the subject ofa lengthy socio-political dispute, and was targeted after a political rally organised byHindu nationalist organisations turned violent.
In Hindu tradition, the city of Ayodhya is the birthplace ofRama. In the 16th century aMughal commander,Mir Baqi, had built a mosque, known as the Babri Masjid at a site identified by some Hindus asRam Janmabhoomi, or the birthplace of Rama. TheArchaeological Survey of India states that the mosque was built on land where a Hindu temple had previously existed.[2][3] In the 1980s, the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) began a campaign for the construction of a temple dedicated to Rama at the site, with theBharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as its political voice. Several rallies and marches were held as a part of this movement, including theRam Rath Yatra led byL. K. Advani.
On 6 December 1992 the VHP and the BJP organised a rally at the site involving 150,000 people. The rally turned violent, and the crowd overwhelmed security forces and tore down the mosque. A subsequent inquiry into the incident found 68 people responsible, including several leaders of the BJP and the VHP. The demolition resulted in several months ofintercommunal rioting between India'sHindu andMuslim communities, causing the death of at least 2,000 people. Retaliatory violence against Hindus also occurred in Pakistan and Bangladesh.
| Ayodhya dispute |
|---|
| Organizations |
InHinduism, the birthplace of the deityRama, known as "Ram Janmabhoomi", is considered a holy site. This site is often believed to be at the place where the Babri Masjid stood in the city of Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh: historical evidence to support this belief is scarce.[4][5] There is a rough scholarly consensus that in 1528, following theMughal conquest of the region, a mosque was built at the site by theMughalcommanderMir Baqi, and named the "Babri Masjid" after theMughal emperorBabur.[6][7][a] Popular belief holds that Baqi demolished a temple of Rama to build the mosque; historical basis for the belief is debated.[4][5] Archaeological evidence has been found of a structure pre-dating the mosque. This structure has been variously identified as a Hindu temple and a Buddhist structure.[4][6]
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The claim that the mosque stood on the site of a temple was first made in 1822, by an official of theFaizabad court.[6][7] TheNirmohi Akhara sect cited this statement in laying claim to the site later in the 19th century, leading to the first recorded incidents of religious violence at the site in 1855.[7][8] TheBritish colonial administration set up a railing in 1859, to separate the outer courtyard of the mosque to avoid disputes. Thestatus quo persisted until 1949, when idols of Rama were reportedly placed inside the mosque, allegedly byHindu Mahasabha activists. This led to an uproar, with both parties filing civil suits laying claim to the land. The placement of the idols was seen as a desecration by the users of the Masjid. The site was declared to be in dispute, and the gates to the Masjid were locked.[7][9]
In the 1980s, the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) began a campaign for the construction of a temple dedicated to Rama at the site, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as its political voice.[7][10] The movement was bolstered by the decision of a district judge, who ruled in 1986 that the gates would be reopened and Hindus permitted to worship there.[7][9] This decision was endorsed byIndian National Congress politicianRajiv Gandhi, at that time thePrime Minister of India, who sought to regain support from Hindus he had lost over theShah Bano controversy.[6][7] Nonetheless, the Congress lost the1989 general election, and the BJP's strength in parliament grew from 2 members to 88, making its support crucial to the newgovernment of V. P. Singh.[7][11]
In September 1990, BJP leaderL. K. Advani began aRath Yatra, a political rally travelling across much of north India to Ayodhya. Theyatra sought to generate support for the proposed temple, and also sought to unite Hindu votes by mobilizing anti-Muslim sentiment.[12] Advani was arrested by theGovernment of Bihar before he could reach Ayodhya. Despite this, a large body ofSangh Parivar supporters reached Ayodhya and attempted to attack the mosque. This resulted in a pitched battle with the paramilitary forces that ended with the death of several rioters. The BJP withdrew its support to the V. P. Singh ministry, necessitating fresh elections. The BJP substantially increased its tally in the union parliament, as well as winning a majority in the Uttar Pradesh assembly.[11]
On 6 December 1992, theRashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and its affiliates organised a rally involving 150,000 VHP and BJP supporters at the site of the disputed structure. The ceremonies included speeches by BJP leaders such asLal Krishna Advani,Murli Manohar Joshi andUma Bharti.[13] During the first few hours of the rally, the crowd grew gradually more restless, and began raising slogans. A police cordon had been placed around the structure in preparation for attack. However, at around noon, a young man managed to slip past the cordon and climb the structure itself, brandishing a saffron flag. This was seen as a signal by the mob, who then stormed the structure. The police cordon, vastly outnumbered and unprepared for the size of the attack, fled. The mob set upon the building with axes, hammers, and grappling hooks, and within a few hours, the entire structure, made from mud and chalk, was levelled.[14][15]
The then Prime MinisterP. V. Narasimha Rao has been often criticized for his mishandling of the situation. Rao in his bookAyodhya 6 December 1992 wrote that the demolition was a "betrayal" by the thenChief Minister of Uttar Pradesh,Kalyan Singh, who repeatedly assured the Congress government that the mosque would be protected.[16]
A2009 report, authored by JusticeManmohan Singh Liberhan, found 68 people to be responsible for the demolition of the Masjid, mostly leaders from the BJP. Among those named were Vajpayee, Advani, Joshi andVijaya Raje Scindia. Kalyan Singh, who was then the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, also faced severe criticism in the report. Liberhan wrote that he posted bureaucrats and police officers to Ayodhya whose record indicated that they would stay silent during the mosque's demolition.[17] Anju Gupta, apolice officer who had been in charge of Advani's security on that day, stated that Advani and Joshi made speeches that contributed to provoking the behaviour of the mob.[18] The report notes that at this time several BJP leaders made "feeble requests to thekar sevaks to come down... either in earnest or for the media's benefit". No appeal was made to the rioters not to enter thesanctum sanctorum or not to demolish the structure. It further noted: "This selected act of the leaders itself speaks of the hidden intentions of one and all being to accomplish demolition of the disputed structure." The report holds that the "icons of the movement present [that day]... could just as easily have... prevented the demolition."[19]
In a March 2005 book, formerIntelligence Bureau headMaloy Krishna Dhar claimed that the Babri mosque demolition was planned 10 months in advance by top leaders of the RSS, BJP and VHP, and criticised the manner in which the then Prime MinisterP. V. Narasimha Rao handled the issue. Dhar claimed that he was directed to arrange security for a meeting between individuals from the BJP and other constituents of the Sangh Parivar, and that the meeting "proved beyond doubt that they (RSS, BJP, VHP) had drawn up the blueprint of theHindutva assault in the coming months and choreographed thepralaya nritya (dance of apocalypse) at Ayodhya in December 1992".[20]
The RSS, BJP, VHP and theBajrang Dal leaders present in the meeting amply agreed to work in a well-orchestrated manner." Claiming that the tapes of the meeting were personally handed over by him to his boss, he asserts that he has no doubts that his boss had shared the contents with the Prime Minister (Rao) and theHome Minister (Shankarrao Chavan). The author claimed that there was silent agreement that Ayodhya offered "a unique opportunity to take the Hindutva wave to the peak for deriving political benefit."[20]
In April 2014, a sting operation byCobrapost claimed that the demolition was not an act of frenzied mobs but an act of sabotage planned with so much secrecy that no government agency got wind of it. It further said that the sabotage was planned several months in advance by VHP andShiv Sena, but not jointly.[21]
In protest against the arrest ofkarsevaks after the demolition, a man later identified as Satish Chandra Pandey attempted tohijack Indian Airlines Flight 810 from Lucknow to Delhi on 22 January 1993. Pandey demanded the release of the arrestees and the construction of atemple at the site of the mosque. Pandey eventually surrendered, and was sentenced to four years in prison.[22][23][24][25][26]
The destruction of the Babri Masjid sparked Muslim outrage around the country, provoking several months ofinter-communal rioting in which Hindus and Muslims attacked one another, burning and looting homes, shops and places of worship.[14] Several of the BJP leaders were taken into custody, and the VHP was briefly banned by the government. Despite this, the ensuing riots spread to cities likeMumbai,Surat,Ahmedabad,Kanpur,Delhi,Bhopal and several others, eventually resulting in over 2000 deaths, mainly Muslim.[14] TheMumbai Riots alone, which occurred in December 1992 and January 1993 and which theShiv Sena played a big part in organising, caused the death of around 900 people, and estimated property damage of around₹ 9,000crore ($3.6 billion).[27][28][29] The demolition and the ensuing riots were among the major factors behind the1993 Mumbai bombings and many successive riots in the coming decade.[30]Jihadi groups including theIndian Mujahideen cited the demolition of the Babri Masjid as a reason for their terrorist attacks.[31][32]
On 16 December 1992, the Union home ministry set up theLiberhan Commission to investigate the destruction of the mosque, headed by retired High Court JudgeM. S. Liberhan. After 399 sittings over sixteen years, the Commission submitted its 1,029-page report to Indian Prime MinisterManmohan Singh on 30 June 2009.[33] According to the report, the events of 6 December 1992, in Ayodhya were "neither spontaneous nor unplanned".[34] In March 2015, theSupreme Court of India admitted a petition alleging that, with a BJP government in power, theCentral Bureau of Investigation (CBI) would not pursue conspiracy charges against senior BJP leaders including L. K. Advani andRajnath Singh.[35] The Court asked the CBI to explain its delay in filing an appeal.[36][37] In April 2017, a special CBI court framed criminal conspiracy charges against Advani,Murli Manohar Joshi,Uma Bharti,Vinay Katiyar, and several others.[38]
On 30 September 2020, the court acquitted all the 32 accused including L. K. Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Uma Bharti, Vinay Katiyar and several others in the case on account of inconclusive evidence.[39] The special court judgeSurendra Kumar Yadav[40] said, "The demolition was not pre-planned."[41][42]
In Pakistan, the government closed offices and schools on 7 December to protest against the demolition of the Babri Masjid.[43] ThePakistani Foreign Ministry summoned theIndian ambassador to lodge a formal complaint, and promised to appeal to theUnited Nations and theOrganisation of the Islamic Conference to pressure India to protect the rights of Muslims.[43] Strikes were held across the country, while Muslim mobs attacked and destroyed as many as 30Hindu temples in one day by means of fire and bulldozers, and stormed the office ofAir India, India's national airline, inLahore.[43][44] The retaliatory attacks included rhetoric from mobs calling for the destruction of India and ofHinduism.[43] Students from theQuaid-i-Azam University inIslamabad burned an effigy of Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao, and called for "jihad" against Hindus.[43] In subsequent years, thousands ofPakistani Hindus visiting India sought longer visas, and in some casescitizenship of India, citing increased harassment and discrimination in the aftermath of the demolition.[45]
Following the demolition, Muslim mobs in Bangladesh attacked and burned downHindu temples, shops and houses across the country.[46] An India-Bangladesh cricket match was disrupted when a mob of an estimated 5,000 men tried to storm theBangabandhu National Stadium in the national capital ofDhaka.[46] The Dhaka office of Air India was stormed and destroyed.[43] 10 people were reportedly killed, 11 Hindu temples and several homes destroyed.[46][47][48] The aftermath of the violence forced theBangladeshi Hindu community to curtail the celebrations ofDurga Puja in 1993 while calling for the destroyed temples to be repaired and investigations be held.[46]
At its summit meeting inAbu Dhabi, theGulf Cooperation Council (GCC) strongly condemned the Babri Masjid demolition. It adopted a resolution that described the act as a "crime against Muslim holy places". Among its member states,Saudi Arabia severely condemned the act. TheUnited Arab Emirates (UAE), home to large expatriate communities ofIndians andPakistanis, conveyed a more moderate reaction. In response, the Indian government criticised the GCC for what it regarded as interference in its internal affairs.[49]AyatollahAli Khamenei, thesupreme leader of Iran, condemned the demolition, and called upon India to do more to protect its Muslim population.[43] Although its government condemned the events, the UAE experienced severe public disturbances due to the demolition of the Babri Mosque.[50] Street protests broke out, and protesters threw stones at aHindu temple and theIndian Consulate inDubai.[50] InAl-Ain, 250 kilometres (160 mi) east of Abu Dhabi, angry mobs set fire to the girls' wing of an Indian school.[50] In response to the violence, UAE police arrested and deported many expatriate Pakistanis and Indians who had participated in the violence. The Commander-in-Chief of theDubai Police Force,Dhahi Khalfan Tamim, condemned the violence by foreign nationals in the country.[50]
Several temples were attacked by Muslims in the UK, in what were suspected to be acts of revenge.[51] Attacks includedpetrol bombings andarson.[52] Hindu temples andSikhgurdwaras, Hindu community centres and other cultural buildings were attacked. One temple was reportedly completely destroyed by fire.[53] Hindu and Muslim leaders appealed for peace following the attacks.[54]
Malayalam authorN. S. Madhavan's short storyThiruthu is based on the Babri Masjid demolition.[55] The Ayodhya dispute and the riots following the demolition form part of the backdrop to Antara Ganguly's 2016 novel,Tanya Tania.[56]Lajja (Shame), a 1993 novel by Bangladeshi authorTaslima Nasrin, was partially inspired by the persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh that intensified after the demolition of the Babri Masjid.[6]
The documentaryRam ke Naam (lit. 'In the name of Ram') byAnand Patwardhan examines the events preceding the demolition.[57] TheBollywood filmMausam (2011) is based on the events surrounding the demolition.[58] The riots that followed the demolition are an important part of the plot of several films, includingBombay (1995) set in theBombay riots.[59]Daivanamathil (2005) explores the repercussions of the demolition onMuslims in Kerala.[60] BothBombay andDaivanamathi won theNargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration at the respectiveNational Film Awards.[61][62] The 2007 filmBlack Friday was based on the1993 Bombay bombings, which were considered to be a response to the demolition of the mosque.[63][64]
In 1992, after the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya in India, many Hindu temples in Pakistan were destroyed.
