A day ahead of the anniversary of Babri mosque demolition, two Muslim groups urged President Pranab Mukherjee to refer all the cases related to Babri Masjid dispute to the Supreme Court and demanded that the hearing be done in a time-bound manner. Members of All India Babri Masjid Rebuilding Committee (AIBMRC) and All India Muslim Unity Front (AIMUF), who staged a protest at Jantar Mantar in the national capital on 5 December, said any decision taken by the apex court will be acceptable to the Muslim community.
The demonstrators demanded rebuilding of the mosque at the disputed site and later handed over memorandums addressed to President and Prime Minister at their respective offices. The protesters said that by “demolishing the Babri Masjid in 1992, several organisations violated the constitution, judiciary, law and order and harmed the secular character of India on international level which can be regained only by rebuilding the mosque.”
OLDEST PLAINTIFF IN BABRI MASJID CASE DISGUSTED WITH THE POLITICS
The oldest surviving plaintiff in the Babri Masjid case, Hashim Ansari said he is disgusted with the politics being played in the Babri Masjid case. The statement of 93-year-old Hashim Ansari, who is pursuing the case since 1949, came just ahead of the 22nd anniversary of the demolition of Babri Masjid in Ayodhya.
“I have seen many ups and downs in the case. I was a poor man when I had taken the initiative in this issue when I was barely 30. I was against any conflict between the Hindus and the Muslims who had nothing to eat and were still fighting with each other for masjid and temple. I was always in favour of the status quo and wanted to protect the Babri Masjid,” Ansari said in Ayodhya on 3 December.
GOVT CONTRADICTS AMIT SHAH’S CLAIM THAT SARADHA MONEY WAS USED FOR TERROR
BJP chief Amit Shah’s recent allegation that Saradha scam money was used to fund Burdwan blast has been contradicted by his own party’s government at the Centre. PMO on 3 December told Lok Sabha that investigations so far has not found any link between the two and money from Saradha scam has not crossed the border to fund terrorism. The revelation was made on a question asked by BJP MPs Hari Manjhi and Prahlad Joshi.
They had asked whether the government had sought details of the probe into Saradha chit fund scam after reports indicated that part of the money was routed to Bangladesh to fund terror activities. In reply, minister of state in the Prime Minister’s Office Jitendra Singh said, “The investigation has so far not revealed any such transaction where money was routed to Bangladesh to fund terror activities.”
GOVT GRABBING WAKF LAND: SHIA SCHOLARS
Even as digging and construction work continued in Husainabad, the voices of dissent grew stronger with prominent Shia scholars accusing the state government of usurping Waqf property. Opponents of the ‘beautification drive’ have already raised concerns about the structural threat to the 18th century heritage monuments in area due to the poorly supervised work.
Senior vice president, All India Muslim Personal Law Board, Dr Kalbe Sadiq said, “We have no problem with the beautification drive, but since the government is taking up the community’s land, it should pay the land’s monetary value.” Imam-e-Juma, Asafi Mosque, Maulana Kalbe Jawad, condemned the role of the district magistrate as the head of Husainabad and Allied Trust (HAT), accusing him of land grab.
A DELHI CHURCH SET ON FIRE
A fire broke out in a church in Northeast Delhi’s Dilshad Garden on 1 December. Police have registered a case under IPC Section 436 (arson) following allegations by parish members that the fire was not accidental. “A case has been registered. A forensic team went to St Sebastian Catholic Church in Dilshad Garden and collected two samples.
Delhi Archbishop Anil Couto has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling on him to order a judicial enquiry into the fire. On 2 December, members of the Christian community protested at the Delhi Police commissioner’s office to highlight “attempts to polarise the people in Delhi state ahead of Assembly elections”. Couto said the “arson” was an act of “sacrilege and hate” against the community and its faith and it was surprising that such an act could take place in Delhi, which is just recovering from a series of communal incidents”.
33 URDU-MEDIUM TEACHERS IN GUJARAT DECLARED ‘SURPLUS’ IN ONE MONTH
In the last one month, as many as 33 Urdu-medium municipal teachers, all Muslims and declared “surplus”, were moved to schools where the medium of instruction is a different language. Four of them were posted to Tamil-medium schools, six to Marathi and two to English, while the “lucky ones” were moved to Gujarati (5) and Hindi-medium (16) institutions.
While the authorities claimed there was no other option due to lack of vacancies in the 59 Urdu-medium institutions among the 452 municipal schools in Ahmedabad, the teachers are upset at what they call “mismanagement” and a “lack of co-ordination” by the administration. Some others have been asked to teach subjects that they have never done before.
WITH BJP’S RISE, WORST FEARS OF MINORITIES COMING TRUE: NALSAR VC
Noted jurist and vice-chancellor of NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad, Faizan Mustafa on 4 December voiced “grave concern” at the rising incidents of “minority bashing” after the NDA government assumed office earlier this year. Mustafa launched a scathing attack on the NDA government saying “ever since the BJP-led NDA came to power at the Centre the worst fears of the minorities are coming true”. He was delivering a paper at a national seminar on “Inclusive Development of Minority Community in India”, organised by the Department of Commerce of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU).
The nation as a whole can no longer afford to ignore the alarming trends manifested in the “statements of senior RSS leaders and the fact that those involved in minority bashing are being awarded with ministerial berths, coupled with the alarming saffronisation of education,” he said.
SENA MAN WHO CLAIMED TO HAVE SPILLED BLOOD IS NEW MINISTER
Diwakar Raote, who was sworn in as a minister on 5 December, is a chip of the old Sena block. Way back in September 1988, when he was chairman of the all-powerful Standing Committee of the BMC, an audio recording of him trying to make Gujarati businessmen cough up money for his party, had created a furore. Annoyed by the paltry Rs 5,000 each that they had promised to cough up, Raote reminded them that his party had protected them during communal riots by ‘killing’ Muslims.
“In order to save the lives of your people in Bhiwandi, I have slaughtered Muslims taking a sword in my hand. Still, you don’t know what Diwakar Raote is? I’ve carried you Gujaratis on my shoulders. In one riot we slaughtered 300-350 Muslims which your businessmen witnessed. What have you seen till now? I am not a goonda but when the time comes our leaders have taught us to take up arms,” Raote is alleged to have said in the 40-minute monologue full of four-letter words.
MUSLIM GIRL CAN MARRY ONCE SHE COMPLETES 15 YRS OF AGE: HC
A Muslim girl can marry when she attains puberty or completes 15 years of age, the Gujarat High Court has said. The court made the observation while quashing legal proceedings under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act against a Muslim youth who had married a 17-year-old girl of his community. Justice J B Pardiwala in the order passed on 2 December said that according to the Muslim Personal Law, a Muslim girl, if she attains puberty or completes the age of 15 years, is “competent” to get married.