Indecent, Infamous Vandalism of the 20th Century India
By MOHAMMAD YACOOB
In 1990s the Hindu leaders belonging to the RSS-VHP-BJP organisations declared that they want the control of Babri Masjid. In 1992 several important and sensitive meetings were held between VHP and Muslim leaders to resolve the Babri Masjid issue, including presentation of historical documents by Muslims that proved Babri Masjid had always been a Masjid and its construction does not involve destruction of any temple. VHP leaders failed to prove that a temple ever existed at the Babri Masjid location. Then, VHP leaders resorted to intimidation, display of emotionalism and showed dependence on the militancy of the credulous and naïve Hindutva mobs. They further declared because Hindus believe that a temple existed at the Masjid location, their belief should be honoured and Muslims should hand over the Masjid to the Hindu (read Hindutva) leaders.
A DESIGN AND NOT AN ACCIDENT
Hundreds of thousands of Hindu militants, volunteers and credulous people stormed the Babri Masjid site on 6 December 6, 1992 in the presence of BJP leaders, broke the wall of the structure with sticks and hammers, and climbed on top of the three domes of the mosque. Millions and millions of people around the world witnessed the destruction and demolition of Bbari Masjid on CNN & BBC.
“Terming the demolition of the Babri-Masjid-Ramajanmbhoomi structure at Ayodhya by kar sevaks – volunteers – as a grave and grim situation, the Supreme Court said on 6 December: ‘It is a great pity that constitutionally elected government could not discharge its sensitive duties in a matter of this magnitude.’ ‘ This is the first time that an assurance by the state government that it will protect the structure and carry out the court orders has been violated,’ observed a division bench during an emergency hearing on an application seeking the appointment of the Centre as a receiver of the disputed properties. The judge told Venugopal, Senior counsel for the state government ‘your (state) assurances were not carried out. It was a design (demolition) and not accident.” (L.A.India Newspaper, December 11, 1992, Santa Fe Spring City, California – 90670)
“Millions of people saw the Mosque being demolished on BBC and CNN and their anger was uncontrollable. Earlier, India’s Muslim League, an ally of the ruling Congress party, accused the country’s largely Hindu police on 9 December, of targeting Muslims in the sectarian violence. ‘We strongly condemn and protest against the most unjustified and inhumane police excesses in firing upon innocent Muslims in different parts of the country’, it said” (India West, December 25, 1992, Emeryville City, California 94608)
“A hardcore, trained, specialist group appears to have masterminded the demolition of the 464-year old disputed shrine at Ayodhya on Dec. 6 Events leading to the destruction of the three domes clearly indicate that this group led the demolition squad through a well-coordinated and pre-designed operation, according to an eyewitness account.” While one segment from this group instigated the volunteers to push through the police cordon, another, armed with hammers, pick axes and iron rods deftly jumped over steel barricades around the disputed structure and started pounding the domes. Another team apparently provoked volunteers to pounce on members of the media, particularly photographers and video cameramen, to prevent them from recording the incident. Agitated volunteers then started pelting stones and bricks at the domes as several youths climbed up the steel barricades, jumped down and quickly mounted the three domes. Simultaneously, several youths whipped out hammers hidden under loose clothing while some others brought pick axes, apparently kept within easy reach. Two of them were seen with pistols. A number of hammers and pick axes were passed on to those perched atop the domes. At this stage a frenzied mob had started pulling apart the steel barricades and used the steel rods for chipping concrete from the domes and the walls below it. At the police control tower the district magistrate and the Senior Superintendent of Police, and several other senior officials helplessly watched domes crumbling one after another. Reporters, photographers and video cameramen who were trying to get close to the scene of action found themselves targets of the volunteers who brutally assaulted them, broke into pieces their expensive equipment and hurled some of the media men on the ground.” As the demolition work continued unabated, the three domes collapsed in a matter of five hours, the last one going down at 4:45pm. By 6 pm, the entire disputed structure had been razed to the ground and one of volunteers was busy clearing the debris.” (L.A. India Newspaper, December 18, 1992, Santa Fe Spring City, California – 90670)
“Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao Dec. 10 said the demolition of the Babri Masjid was part of a plan to ‘pre-empt’ a settlement of the ‘Mandir-Masjid’ dispute. In an interview to the CCN, the prime minster indicated that a settlement of the long-standing dispute was round the corner. ‘In fact they were going to be settled, but just to pre-empt that settlement this (demolition) was hatched’, he said. ‘I am quite sure it (demolition) was a result of pre-planning. It could not be spontaneous or at the spur of the moment’, Rao said. (India West, December 18 and 25, 1992, City of Emeryville, California 64608)
SEARCH-AND-SELECT-AND-
KILL-THE-MUSLIMS CAMPAIGN
“In a new escalation of India’s turmoil deadly religious riots spread to part of the nation’s capital Friday in an orgy of arson, bombings, stabbing and shootings. The Seelampur district of northeast Delhi, a crowded middle-class community of Hindus and Muslims was a war zone for most of the night and all day Friday as rampaging crowds of rock-throwing youths torched scores of homes and shops, burned at least one man and two children alive, hacked others with swords and fought police in pitched street battles. Residents said most of the victims were Muslims. Roaming gangs of Hindu youths still controlled the smoke-and Tear-gas filled alleys at nightfall as fires – and fear – raged out of control.” (Bob Drogin, Times Staff Writer, Los Angeles Times, Dec. 12, 1992, Los Angeles, California)
“Near Surat, in Gujarat state, 14 people were pulled from a train and hacked to death with knives and axes. A day before, 24 other people were burned to death by mobs in the trading and textile city. At least 200 people have died in Gujarat. In the north, Hindus killed Muslims near the Nawab of Jaipur’s elegant pink palace, not far from the gleaming Taj Mahal, built as a tribute to love. (Bob Drogin, Times Staff Writer, Los Angeles Times, Dec. 15, 1992, Los Angeles, California)
“Gangs of Hindus staged a firebomb attack on a Muslim shantytown in Bombay Dec. 10, setting ablaze scores of tin and wooden shacks and forcing 500 people to take refuge in a nearby Mosque, witnesses said. Police opened fire on the attacking Hindus from the Bombay suburb of Mahim, wounding eight, residents said.” (India West, December 18 and 25, 1992, City of Emeryville, California 64608)
“Surat, December 19. A 19 year-old rape victim with a shaven head is convalescing at the Surat Civil Hospital. She was gang raped after being pulled out from a Bhusaval-bound train on December 10. Her brother who was accompanying her to Dhulia was stabbed and burned alive in front of her. The 20-year-old wife of a religious leader was married just 15 days. She had come from Assam to Surat with great hope and expectations. Her husband was slaughtered in front of her and she was also gang raped. She is struggling between life and death today at the Sarvajanik Hospital following an acid attack on her. A visit to the Marjaan Shaani hall where about 1,592 terror stricken people are taking shelter is a grim reminder of the events. It is a tragic sight. Many of the survivors have tales to tell. But what tops all, if the eye witnesses are to be believed is the sadistic manner in which the killers have video recorded the incidents. Why did they bring the video cameras along with them and what was their intention to take their “inhuman acts” on tape defies explanations because if by any chance if this tape falls in the hands of the police it may become a vital piece of evidence against the same killers. Perhaps the plight of Jamilabanu who is several months pregnant is the most tragic of all. Having seen her husband and three children being slaughtered in front of her own eyes and their bodies being hurled into a bonfire, she has lost her mental balance. She was among the several women who were brought to the camp in total naked condition, thanks to the help from a local leader. Lying in one of the corners of the camp office she has not opened her eyes since the last five days. Probably she is a lost case. The tragedy that has befallen the family on Varachha Road is beyond words. The 23-year-old girl, a bright student had completed her M.Com. and LLB. Hailing from a police family, her father a retired police office and her brother a police officer in Surat, she had made up her mind to join the civil service. ‘Only a couple of days back we had procured books worth over Rs. 5,000 for her studies,’ her aged mother says with a stolid face. The mob struck the house when the police officer brother was on duty and the parents along with two daughters were at their home at Santoshnagar Society on Varachha Road, while the parents along with the other sister somehow managed to escape through the back door, the girl could not succeed in fleeing and met with the gory end. At the civil hospital only her head would be brought for the post-mortem ritual as her body had been thrown into the bonfire which was lit by the crowd after pulling out all the belongings of the family.” (The Times of India, Ahmedabad, December 20, 1992)
“Bal Thackeray, President of the Hindu Militant organisation of Bombay (Maharashtra), the Shiv Sena, openly urged the Hindus to massacre Muslims. Shiv Sena has been labelled the Nazi Party of India in the November 1-15 1991 issue of “Dalit Voice”, the monthly magazine published from the city of Bangalore, India. The riots began on Jan. 6 after Shiv Sena, a local Hindu radical party, called for its followers to burn Muslim-owned homes, shops and property. Rao (Prime Minister), who toured the city Friday, was widely criticised for failing to blame radical Hindu groups for the rioting. (From Times Wire Services, Los Angeles Times, January 17, 1993)
(to be concluded)