Ayodhya firing incident

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The Uttar Pradesh police opened fire at members of the Sangh Parivar, a group of Hindutva organisations led by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, a right-wing Hindutva paramilitary organisation, who were heading to demolish the five-century-old Babri Masjid. The firings occurred on two separate days, 30 October 1990 and 2 November 1990, in the aftermath of the Ram Rath Yatra. The civilians were religious volunteers, or kar sevaks , assembled near the Ram Janmabhoomi site at Ayodhya. The state government's official records report that at least 17 people were killed. [1] [ unreliable source? ] [2] [ unreliable source? ] [3] [ unreliable source? ]

Background

In September 1990, Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), and the Shiv Sena started an official campaign for the Ram Temple to be rebuilt at the Ram Janmabhoomi site. The situation became volatile, with L. K. Advani conducting Ram Rath Yatra , a religious and political rally, and the VHP mobilizing people to the site. The state government, under Mulayam Singh Yadav, promised protection and a complete lockdown of the site and city. [4] [ additional citation(s) needed ] Yadav reassured the public: "No bird would be able to fly into Ayodhya". [5] [ unreliable source? ] [6] [ unreliable source? ]

Timeline

21 October 1990

Volunteers, or kar sevaks , first assembled in Ayodhya at the behest of L. K. Advani of the Bharatiya Janata Party and Ashok Singhal of the VHP, on 21 October 1990. [7] [ improper synthesis? ]

30 October 1990

Called "the D-Day of Karseva", 30 October saw the start of unprecedented security arrangements. Police barred bus and train services to Ayodhya. Most kar sevaks reached Ayodhya by foot; some swam across the Sarayu river. The police also barricaded the 1.5 km-long climb to the disputed structure and imposed a curfew.[ citation needed ] According to the investigatory Liberhan Commission report, issued after the event:

At around 10am, a large group of kar sevaks headed towards the site, led by Vamadev, Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, and Ashok Singhal of the VHP. Ashok Singhal was wounded on the head by a police baton. This altercation led to a mob frenzy and open confrontation between civilians and police officers.[ citation needed ]

At around 11am, a Hindu holyman or sadhu managed to gain control of an Armed Constabulary bus in which the police were holding detainees. The sadhu drove the bus right through the barricades, clearing a way for the others to follow on foot. The security forces were caught off guard and were forced to chase about 5,000 kar sevaks, who stormed through the heavily guarded site. [5] [8] [ unreliable source? ] According to eyewitnesses the Kothari brothers mounted a saffron flag atop the Babri Masjid. [9] [ better source needed ]

1 November 1990

Hindu groups took a day to cremate and pay homage to the lives lost on 1 November.[ citation needed ]

2 November 1990

Assembled kar sevaks offered prayers (Pooja) at Ramlila on the morning of 2 November and then proceeded to Babri Masjid. Members of the crowd used the strategy of touching security personnel's feet, which made them withdraw a step. This worked for a while, and the procession continued. However, the police took firm action by using tear gas and baton charges to disperse the crowd. [6] [ unreliable source? ] Nevertheless, some contingents of kar sevaks reached and partially damaged the mosque.[ citation needed ]

Aftermath

News of the shootings was mostly suppressed from the Indian media,[ citation needed ] but some local and international media outlets mentioned them. [10] [ unreliable source? ] [11] [12] [ unreliable source? ] [13] [ unreliable source? ] [14] [ unreliable source? ] The firing incident had a significant impact on Uttar Pradesh and on Indian national politics.[ citation needed ]

The Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh was given the sobriquet 'Mulla' Mulayam Singh for his stance during the incident. He lost the 1991 election to the Bharatiya Janata Party. After that, in the 4 December 1993 election, Mulayam Singh Yadav became the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh with the help of Kanshiram. [15] [ unreliable source? ] [16] [ unreliable source? ] He described his decision to fire on the crowd in Ayodhya as "painful yet necessary as it was ordered by the high court to maintain peace, law and order till the judgement come out." [17] [ unreliable source? ]

People of the Hindu community arranged a memorial meeting for the dead Karsevaks on April 4, 1991, at the Boat Club, New Delhi, which attracted a large audience. [18] [ unreliable source? ] [19] [ unreliable source? ] They also launched a nationwide awareness program displaying the Asthi Kalash (funeral urns) of those who died in the firing incident. [3] [ unreliable source? ] [20] [ unreliable source? ] In the following years, these organizations and their prominent leaders received both political and moral endorsement.

On 6 December 1992, a large group of kar sevaks demolished Babri Masjid.

References

  1. ↑ Subudhi, Bibek Krishna (12 November 2019). "Ayodhya verdict". www.currentaffairsnight.com. Archived from the original on 6 October 2020. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
  2. ↑ "Shriram Janmabhumi Mukti Andolan 2 | Vishva Hindu Parishad | Official Website". vhp.org. Archived from the original on 22 July 2014. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  3. 1 2 Dubey, Scharada (2012). Portraits from Ayodhya. Tranquebar Press. p. 71. ISBN   9789381626214.
  4. ↑ "It is wholly needless. Why all this tamasha about Ayodhya?: Devi Lal". Voices. Indiascope. Quotes: Mulayam Singh Yadav, in Organiser; Devi Lal, in The Times of India; Mahant Avaidyanath, president of Ram Janmabhoomi Mukti Yagna Samiti; Bhanu Pratap Singh, Governor of Karnataka, in The Week; Nelson Mandela, in New Delhi; Nelson Mandela, in a clarification the next day; Rajiv Gandhi, in Blitz; M. Karunanidhi, inaugurating Wildlife Week, in The Hindu; Laloo Prasad Yadav, in Sunday; M. Farooql, CPI leader, in The Sunday Observer; Madhavrao Scindia, president of the Cricket Board, in The Hindustan Times; Meenakshi Seshadri, in Stardust. Published By: AtMigration. 15 November 1990 [UPDATED: Sep 24, 2013 13:50 IST] – via India Today.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  5. 1 2 "Ayodhya massacre of Hindu devotees in 1990 which no media will talk about | Internet Hindu". Internethindu.in. 24 February 2017. Archived from the original on 7 June 2017. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  6. 1 2 "We fall, get up and march forward". Livemint.com. 12 December 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  7. ↑ "Chapter 4: Sequence Of Events" (PDF). Report Of The Liberhan Ayodhya Commission Of Inquiry (published 6 July 2011). 25 November 2009. pp. 57–284. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 January 2018. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
  8. ↑ "Cold blooded massacre of kar sewaks in Ayodhya". Ancient India. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  9. ↑ Nath, Sujit (5 December 2017). "Martyrs or Victims: Kothari Brothers Who Laid Down Their Lives for Ram Mandir". News 18 . Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  10. ↑ "October 31, 1990 – Indian troops kill 5 Hindus in mosque | Chicago Tribune Archive". Archives.chicagotribune.com. 31 October 1990. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  11. ↑ Barbara Crossette (31 October 1990). "20 Die in India as Hindus Storm Disputed Mosque". The New York Times . Iraq; Kuwait; Middle East. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  12. ↑ "Scores killed". (Ellensburg) Daily Record. Vol. 89, no. 259. Ellensburg, Wash. UPI. 31 October 1990. p. 16. Archived from the original on 7 October 2020. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
  13. ↑ "Moslem, Hindu conflict worsens". Nation–World. Lawrence (Daily) Journal-World. Vol. 132, no. 306. Lawrence, Kansas. 2 November 1990. p. 2A. Archived from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
  14. ↑ "(Religious, political unrest : Killing continues in India over religious issues): More killed as religious unrest spreads". World News. The News. Boca Raton, Fla. The Associated Press. p. 3A. Archived from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
  15. ↑ Virk, Aviral (1 February 2017). "Ayodhya Part 6: The Making of "Mullah Mulayam"". The Quint. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  16. ↑ "Ayodhya braces for a showdown as Akhilesh's govt bans VHP yatra". Indiatoday.intoday.in. 22 August 2013. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  17. ↑ "Decision to order firing in Ayodhya painful: Mulayam Singh Yadav". Timesofindia.indiatimes.com. 28 August 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  18. ↑ "Shriram Janmabhumi Mukti Andolan 1 | Vishva Hindu Parishad | Official Website". Archived from the original on 21 March 2015. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
  19. ↑ "VHP gains strength with each passing day, poised to play key role in coming polls : Special Report – India Today 30041991". Indiatoday.intoday.in. 30 April 1991. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  20. ↑ Kaur, Ramandeep (2012). "Chapter IV: THE DEMOLITION OF BABRI-MASJID AND COMMUNALISATION OF INDIAN POLITICS" (PDF). Communal Politics in India: The Post Babri Masjid Phase (Thesis). AMRITSAR, INDIA: Department of Political Science, Guru Nanak Dev University. pp. 72–113. hdl:10603/23714 . Retrieved 24 May 2017– via Shodhganga@INFLIBNET.
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