This day in history: Demolition of Babri Masjid and its aftermath

Jagran.com

This day in history marks the event of demolition and wrecking of the Babri Masjid by a large group of activists. The 16th-century Babri Masjid in the city of Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, had been the subject of a huge socio-political clash. It was targeted after a political rally organized by Hindu nationalist organizations.

History of Ayodhya- Ram Janam Bhoomi

In the Hindu religion, the birthplace of Lord Rama is considered to be Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh. It is commonly called Ramjanamabhoomi. Even the Babri masjid was built in the same place by Mughal general Mir Baqi in 1528.The mosque was located on a hill known as Ramkot. The masjid is named after the famous Mughal ruler Babur.
There is a popular belief that Baqi demolished the temple of Rama to build the masjid; the basis for this belief is still a topic of debate. Archaeological evidence has been found of a structure already prevailing before the construction of the mosque. 

Ram Mandir- Babri Mazjid Dispute

The first recorded incident of religious violence occurred in 1855 when the Nirmohi Akhara sect claimed the rights to the land, where the mosque stood. In 1859 the British authorities set up a railing to separate the outer courtyard of the mosque to avoid any disputes. The situation of violence and debate persisted till 1949 when idols of Lord Ram were placed inside the mosque, by the members of Hindu Mahasabha. This led to contention as both parties filed civil suits laying claim to the land. The placement of the Hindu idols was seen as an act of desecration by the people who uses Masjid. As a result, the site was declared to be in dispute, and Masjid was locked.

Rath Yatra by  L. K Advani

The grave event took place in September 1990, when L. K Advani, leader of Bhartiya Janta Party, began a rath yatra. The rally covered north India and culminated in the place of the dispute, Ayodhya. Before reaching Ayodhya, Advani was arrested by the police but a huge number of people from Sangh Parivar reached Ayodhya. 

The Demolition of the Babri Masjid

On 6 December 1992, a rally was organized in which around 15000 people took part. They gathered around the area of dispute and contention. Leaders like Uma Bharti, Advani, Murli Manohar gave speeches on that day. During the rally, the crowd was gradually becoming restless and raised slogans. The police officials were stationed around the periphery of the rally to control any disruptive activity.

Soon after the speeches, a man waved a saffron-colored flag and suddenly the mob appeared with hammers and axes. The police also fled away as they were not prepared to tackle such a huge crowd.  The mob instigated by fury and anger climbed upon the structure of the building and frantically started destroying it, within a blink of the eye the whole structure came down crumbling.

Aftermath of Masjid Demolition 

Communal hatred and violence

Ayodhya has been a reason for contention between religious groups ever since. The demolition of the mosque added fuel to the fire as inter-communal rioting happened all over the country. Several cases of burning and looting homes, destroying public property were witnessed. This led to incessant riots and chaos in the country. The cities majorly affected by it were Mumbai, Surat, Ahemdabad, New Delhi, Kanpur, Bhopal, etc. 

Virat Kohli’s 10th Marksheet: विराट कोहली ने शेयर की 10वीं की मार्कशीट, नंबर देखकर उड़े लोगों के होश

यह भी पढ़ें