On the 20th anniversary the scene at the Jantar Mantar in New Delhi reminded the people that although the dust from the rubbles of the demolished Babri Masjid over the years seems to have settled for now yet the scars left on the minds remain firmly entrenched in the mind of the custodian of the secular ethos of our country and are likely to pass on from one generation to another. Various socio-political organisations jointly led a protest march from Mandi House to Jantar Mantar demanding to rebuild Babri Masjid on its original site and to punish those involved in the demolition of the historic mosque on 6 December 1992.
Organisers of the protest march termed the demolition of the structure as a criminal act and demanded stringent punishment for those responsible for the demolition of Babri Masjid and for killing of thousands of people in the ensuing violence across the country. It was also felt that the Babri episode indeed jolted the sentiments of the Muslims and gave a call to rise up and be counted on the socio-political frame of the country.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. SQR Ilyas, General Secretary Welfare Party of India, said both Congress and BJP must share the blame on their part for the demolition of the Babri Masjid and dividing the people of India on religious ground for their vested political interests. He further said it is the need of the hour for a serious and value-added politics that can unite the people on the basis of secularism and democracy.
The placards and the sentiments echoed at the protest site that injustice anywhere is threat to justice everywhere.
Dr Tasleem Rahmani of Muslim Political Council, while addressing the gathering, said that astha cannot overshadow facts and faith of the majority community in no way can be above the faith of minority community, and judiciary should give its verdict on the basis of facts in order to consolidate trust in democracy and the law of the land.
Mr. Gurcharan Singh of Lok Raj Sangathan said that over the years the term minority is now considered to be an abuse and Sikh and Muslims have now become synonyms of terrorism because after every incident the point of suspicion is at the Sikh and the Muslim communities and by no means the trauma, pains and sufferings of the 1984 Sikh riots and 1992 Babri Masjid demolition will recede into history. Akhlaque Ahmed of Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR) said that the very act of demolition of Babri Masjid and killings in its aftermath put a question mark on our Constitution, democracy, secularism and judiciary.
The protest march was jointly organised by Lok Raj Sangathan, Sikh Forum, Sikhi Sidak, Better Sikh Schools, Socialist Yuvajan Sabha, Communist Ghadar Party of India, Welfare Party of India, Purogami Mahila Sangathan, Hind Naujawan Ekta Sabha, Association for Protection of Civil Rights, Manipur Students Association Delhi, All India Loco Running Staff Association, Mazdoor Ekta Committee and Voltas Employees Federation.
In Jaipur, various Muslim organisations of Rajasthan assembled under the banner of Rajasthan Muslim Forum at Mati Dungri Road to mark the 20th anniversary of Babri Masjid demolition. On this occasion, members of the organisation protested and held a prayer meeting for peace.
Speaking on the occasion, member of the Forum and National Secretary JIH, Engineer Mohammad Saleem, said that Babri Masjid demolition was the second big act of terrorism after assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. He further said that placement of an idol and the demolition of the Masjid took place during the Congress regime and without judicious law peace can neither be attained in our country nor in our homes.
Paker Farooque of APCR, while addressing the gathering, narrated the entire development from the period the Masjid was built to its demolition. During this prayer meet, Qari Moinuddin, convener of the Forum, Advocate Aamir Aziz, Mohammad Shafi of PFI, Habib Garnet, member of the Forum and Abdul Lateef also expressed their viewpoints.
They also adopted a resolution expressing surprise and anger that even after 20 years of the demolition the guilty have not been punished and are moving scot-free. Not only this, even charges have not been framed against them so far either in Rai Bareilly court or in the Lucknow court. The resolution also demanded to expedite the judicial process on the petition filed by the All India Muslim Personal Law Board in the Supreme Court and elsewhere in Uttar Pradesh. The resolution also demanded to punish all those named in the Liberhan Commission report. The Forum asked people to maintain peace and promote brotherhood. The Forum also urged all like-minded people and organisations to protest till Babri Masjid is rebuilt on the original site
The resolution was read out by Mohammad Shaukat Quraishi, secretary of Muslim Musafirkhana and was unanimously adopted saying Allah-hu Akbar.
The Indian American Muslim Council, an advocacy group dedicated to safeguarding India’s pluralist and tolerant ethos, has called the Babri Masjid case a continuing travesty of justice. The over 400 year-old Babri Masjid was demolished by fanatical mobs led by L.K. Advani, a BJP leader and former Deputy PM, along with other extremists on 6 December 1992. The sectarian violence that engulfed the nation in the aftermath resulted in the deaths of over 2,000 people, injuries to thousands and loss of property among the minorities amounting to hundreds of crores of rupees. Since then the case has dragged on for two decades, without any prosecution of Mr. Advani, Sadhvi Rithambara and 66 others who were declared culpable by the Liberhan Commission for their role in the demolition and the ensuing violence.
“The Babri Masjid issue can be resolved through prompt judicial action and not through violence and intimidation,” said Shaheen Khateeb, President of IAMC.