Babri Mosque demolition

 On December 6,20 years ago the historic Babri Mosque was razed to the ground by Karsevaks led by L.K. Advani the BJP leader. The demolition of mosque was followed by a frenzied mob killing 2,000 Muslims. Till today nobody has been punished for destroying the mosque.
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On December 6, 20 years ago, the historic Babri Mosque was razed to the ground by Karsevaks led by L.K. Advani, the BJP leader.

The demolition of the mosque was followed by a frenzied mob killing 2,000 Muslims.
Till today nobody has been punished for destroying the mosque.

This Thursday, the Indian Supreme Court directed a Rai Bareilly court to expeditiously hear the Babri Masjid demolition case against Advani and 19 others for charges of criminal conspiracy (dropped by the trial court).
L.K. Advani, who led the Rath Yatra and exhorted his followers to destroy the mosque, in a fit of repentance, has told the journalists, the other day, that “it (December 6) is the saddest day of my life.”
Ajit Sharma writing in the Hindustan Times, thus aptly put this show of regret: “The charioteer, who provided the catalyst for the movement by going across the country on Toyota Rath, making fiery speeches, now sings a different tune.”

Sharma also throws light on Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s role. In a speech to the Karsevaks, on the eve of the demolition of the mosque, Vajpayee had said: “The Supreme Court has allowed bhajan-kirtan (at the mosque site), which cannot be performed by one man. Many people have to be present. Sharp stones are there on the ground. The ground has to be levelled.”

Observes the Indian columnist: “It cannot be denied that the seeds sown by the Ramjanambhoomi Movement and the several events that followed, alienated the Muslims. They have become the first suspects when it comes to the acts of terrorism.

“Young (Muslims) men and women are picked up and kept in custody for years till it is discovered that there is no evidence linking them to terrorist strike.......The pogrom........that it unleashed after the demolition retaliatory bomb blasts of (99) further alienated and demonised Muslims across the country.”

A piece from the Asian Age editorial speaks for itself: For Muslims, who were reassured since partition that India was as much their home as everyone else who lived here, the demolition was a searing event. It played on their mind for years. The Muslim Indian has gone back to being active participants in every discourse. But what has not changed in two decades is that not a single individual has been held guilty, leave alone punished for the crime committed that day when murderous mobs were permitted to roam free to pursue their end by the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh as the Congress-led central government watched passively waiting on constitutionalism. In the event, a precedent has been set for mob rule to overwhelm the rule of law.
Kuldip Nayar in his new (yet to be released) book, Beyond the Lines, implicates the former Prime Minister of India P.V. Narasimha Rao and says that he “connived” at the demolition and claims that Rao kept sitting in a Puja when Karsevaks were pulling the mosque down and rose only when the last stone had been removed. Ranga Rao, Narasimha’s son, has, however, denied Kuldip’s version.

An interesting twist on the fallout of the Babri Mosque destruction, according to Mazher Hussain, writing in The Hindu, is that it stirred up the Muslims and helped to bridge the class divide among them “giving them a unitary identity and new political awareness.” This is only partially correct, as there is not much change in the plight of the Muslims in India.

Sachar’s Report is an evidence of their continuous suffering in various ways. Muslims are 14 percent of the Indian population. But do they have that much representation and participation in various fields? Ajit Sharma in his article stoutly rebuts the impression sought to be created by Mazher Hussain.

On Babri Mosque’s demolition, noteworthy are the remarks of Arundhati Roy, a social activist. She is known for candid and fearless expression of her well-considered views. On the occasion of the Babri Mosque demolition anniversary, at a Safdar Hashmi Memorial event, she said: “One of my worst days as the citizen of India was when the Masjid was brought down. It was an assault on the rationality of the constitution.” On the occasion of launching her new book, Hum Sab Ayodhya Hain, she added that “the situation is very much like it was then. Dissent is not liked today as well. And if we do that, we are charged with sedition. Cartoonists are put behind bars; two young girls are arrested from FB post. All this has put India’s secularism and the ability to tolerate different beliefs and opinions at stake.”

The preachers of Aman Ki Asha may keep these aspects of the so-called-and-claimed “Incredible India”.
The peaceniks, certainly, have a point. We all must work for peace and good relations with our neighbours.
At the same time, we cannot afford to ignore facts and reality. Yes, in the past, there have been indiscretions and serious mistakes made by us, but can we forget the way Indians militarily cut us off from the eastern wing. There could have been talks and negotiations in regard to refugees entering India, but marching an army into another country’s territories was highly reprehensible. Our behaviour with regard to our own people was indeed atrocious, but it did not mean that a foreign force would enter and start fighting in our country. Can we forget the Samjhota Express carnage? Can we reconcile ourselves to what the Indian military is doing in Occupied Kashmir that, according to the United Nations, is a disputed territory and we are an internationally recognised party to the dispute.

On the one hand, we are regaled with sweet songs and messages of love and amity, and on the other hand, despite repeated requests, the Prime Minister of India keeps refusing to visit Pakistan.
It is many, many years since an Indian Prime Minister visited Pakistan. Just three days ago, the Indian junior Foreign Minister, Ramchandran, accused Pakistan/Azad Kashmir of operating 42 training camps for militants. His language and tone were, indeed, aggressive and provocative.
We are rushing headlong into trade pacts and cultural ties, without fully weighing the pros and cons, and the plus and minus, of relationships we are entering into.

By all means have trade and fair relations, but thoroughly know the parties you are dealing with and judge their intentions and credentials in the light of their overall record and behaviour towards us. While India may have reason to accuse us of certain objectionable acts on our part, let us not forget what they did in “East Pakistan” and with regard to Occupied Kashmir, Samjhota Express tragedy, Gujrat and the Babri Mosque, and what possibly they are doing in Afghanistan and Balochistan. And how they are creating problems for us in regard to the flow of river waters to our country?
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By Inayatullah

The writer is an ex-federal secretary & ambassador, and a freelance political and international relations analyst.  Email: pacade@brain.net.pk

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Will Obama ask India to end Hindutva Terror ?

Zaheerul Hassan

US President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle are visiting India in early November 2010. In this connection Obama conveyed to Indian External Affairs Minister SM Krishna at a reception of Natural History Museum in New York. Obama added that his wife Mrs. Michelle is excited about the trip. Indian leadership is anxiously waiting to welcome the president of global power because of obvious reasons. But the victims of the Hindu’s holocaust are waiting that whether the head of a global power has the courage to ask Indian leadership to end Hindutve Terror.  Obamas’ curiosity has its own reasons because of his wife’s first visit of so called secular state but at the same time Americans’ responsible staff should arrange factual briefing, reflecting true Indian face.

The US couple must know that Indian troops so far killed more than 3.2 to 3.4 million Sikhs; more than 120,000 Muslims of the occupied 'Internationally Disputed Areas of Jammu and Kashmir; more than 500,000 Muslims in general; more than 312,500 Christians; over 15,000 Tamils; more than 15,000 civilians of the 7-sister of Assam; hundreds of thousand Dalits; hundreds thousand of Adivaasis or Moolnivasis. These Sikhs, Muslims and non-Hindus and non-Brahmins minorities were killed, because they were neither Brahmins nor the Hindus. Both the 'Brahmins-Hindus politicians or law-makers and the personnel of armed forces need one another to protect their own skin, since 15th August, 1947.

The matter of concern for the international monitoring organizations of human rights is that Indian authorities instead of giving rights to the minorities have put their leadership behind the bar.  In an “e-mail”, a Maoist’s leader with the promise of anonymity told me that he is in the jail since couple of years and are being thrashed and tortured in the jails. In September 2010, it was the first time when he had been able to access to the internet.  He has not been allowed to receive or send text messages for three months. He further elaborated that just like all kashmiries his telephone has been barred from such contacts.

The parties like BJP, RSS and Shiv Sena under the leadership extremists’ Hindu leadership like Ball Thakara always motivated and backed extremists Hindu against Christians, Sikhs and Muslims. It is notable here that since couple of years Indian government with the help of Hindu terrorists  is making  deliberate attempts to further deplete  the minorities Karnataka, Kashmir, Gujarat Ameristar, Manipur and Orissa states. Compass Direct News (CDN) mentioned in their report of October 13, 2010 that police in a south Indian state known is for turning to minority Christians. In recent years local police have arrested two suspected Hindu nationalists for beating four pastors and striking the wife of one of them in the stomach, killing her unborn child. These suspects were indirectly supporting by the local authorities and police.  According to the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC), the attack took place at a Christian gathering in a private Christian school when they were to celebrate the birth of Mahatma Gandhi on Oct. 2 in Chintamani, (Karnataka state’s Kolar district).

About 40 people barged into New Public School during the concluding prayer that morning and began selectively beating the pastors and Kejiya Fernandes, wife of one identified only as Pastor Fernandes. Chintamani police arrived but the attack went on, and when it ended at noon officers took the Christians to the station instead of arresting the attackers.  It is also added here that the poor Christian were also denied medical attention. The injured Christians were released at 7:30 p.m. only after Kejiya Fernandes began to bleed profusely, GCIC reported. She and her husband later received hospital treatment, where she lost the baby she had been carrying for four months, according to GCIC.

The attack was reportedly carried out to avenge an alleged insult to Hindu gods during the Christian gathering, with the accused also having filed a police complaint, added Prakash, who visited the area and the Christian victims this week. However, the complaint against the Christians was for “deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings or any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs” (Section 295-a), and, strangely, Section 324 for “voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means,” among other charges. The Christians were not arrested, as a court granted them anticipatory bail.

According to the report, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, whose birthday the Christians were celebrating, was a friend with Christian missionaries during British rule and taught religious tolerance. The acclaimed Hindu, India’s greatest political and spiritual leader was killed in 1948 by Nathuram Godse, who was allegedly influenced by the ideology of the Hindu extremist conglomerate Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.  It is quite alarming that for the last three years, Karnataka has been seen as the hub of Christian persecution in India.  More than 152 attacks on Christians in 2009, 86 were reported in Karnataka, according to the EFI. This year, too, Karnataka is likely to top anti-Christian attacks. According to the GCIC, at least 47 attacks on Christians in the state had been reported as of Sept. 26. Persecution of Christians in Karnataka increased particularly after the August 2008 anti-Christian mayhem in eastern Orissa state, where Maoists killed a Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader but Hindu extremists wrongly blamed it on local Christians.

The attacks in Orissa’s Kandhamal district killed more than 100 people and burned 4,640 houses, 252 churches and 13 educational institutions. While Hindu nationalists had targeted and were working in Karnataka for close to two decades, the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to sole power in the state for the first time in the history of independent India in May 2008. Prior to that, the BJP ruled in coalition with a local party, the Janata Dal-Secular, for 20 months.

It is believed that the victory of the BJP has led to  the violence in Orissa, which was also ruled by a coalition that included the BJP � emboldened Hindu extremists, who now enjoy greater impunity due to the party’s incumbency. Despite the high incidence of persecution of minorities in Karnataka, BJP leaders deny it, alleging complaint are the result of a political conspiracy of opposition parties. There are a little more than 1 million Christians in Karnataka, where the total population is more than 52 million, mostly Hindus.

Thus, in this connection we can say that the worries of minorities are increasing day by day and continuous gross violation of human rights in India is further aggravating the problem. Interestingly, during the period of the British Empire administration, 19th to 20th centuries, no Sikh and/or Muslims Lt.-Generals were court marshaled. This is the reflection that only the 'Brahmins-Hindus' in the Indian armed forces are corrupt and criminals. The sate of minorities in India is so pathetic that they even are not allowed in open to perform their religious obligations. The local news channels have been banned in the Kashmir and affected areas. The overall situation in Maoist, Nagaland, Orissa and Kashmir are dreadful.

Indian Chief of Army Staff Gen V K Singh has failed to stop his troops to stop brutality against minorities. He is just busy in threatening and interfering in neighbouring countries’ internal affairs. In this regard, on October 15, 2010 said that China and Pakistan are two major irritants for India's security and about the possibility of a war in a nuclear scenario, saying they were "jingoistic" and "unwise".  While rejecting Indian Chief comments, Islamabad Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit said in a statement: "The government of Pakistan takes a serious exception to the reported statement of the Indian Army chief about his threat perception from Pakistan, war under a nuclear scenario and uncalled for and gratuitous comments on the internal affairs of Pakistan."  In fact, Indian Chief has started sprinkling venom against China and Pakistan by design due to the forthcoming visit of Obama. He also tried to divert the attention of international community and particularly Americans from extremists’ Hindu brutality against Christians. Probably, he was in the knowledge that Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC) and others minorities has planned to protest against Indian brutality on arrival of President Obama.

GCIC is also approaching Obama administration to pressurize India to stop Hindu extremism against Christians. But question arises, whether the president of lonely supper power will ask India to end Hindutva Terror or give preference in making economical gains at the cost of killing of his own community in the hands of Hindu extremists’ terrorists.

Muslims of India and Babri Masjid

By Syed Ali Raza Abidi

Indian Muslims are happy living in India and it should really not bother anybody else. They don’t want others to defend them or speak up for their right, as they feel their secular country has given them enough protection and freedom of religion. Especially when it comes to Pakistan criticizing decisions of the Indian Judiciary or the Government, the unity shown by Indians is so far exemplary.

The much awaited decision on the land of Babri Masjid, where 16th Century Masjid was destroyed in 1992 is decided to be distributed in three parts by the Allahabad High Court to satisfy all claims. The Sunni Waqf has immediately arranged to appeal against the verdict, as the courts did not find reasonable evidence that it was their property or the Mughal Emperor Babar in 1528, but agreed with the plea that Emperor Babar had built the Mosque on the birth place of their god “Ram.” It is not clear how the Judiciary believed the evidence that the land belonged to the Hindu’s prior to Babar taking possession of it. However, it is not clear if Babar had owned the land where the Mosque was constructed, there is no evidence if the builder was the owner, or if there was a third person who had ordered the construction had owned the land. The Sunni Waqf was not able to satisfy the courts with the evidence they could provide.
Hence, The High Court in UP decided to split the property into 3 parts, from which 2 parts will be for the Hindus and 1 part will be retained by the Muslims. The Hindus want to build a temple of Ram there, while Muslims wanted to rebuild the mosque. It is also clear that no Hindu Temple was destroyed by Babar for construction of the Mosque. However, it was believed that somewhere in the compound of the Mosque, Hindu’s lord Ram was born, but the courts could not pinpoint that precise location. During 1855, it was also believed that within the premises of the Masjid, Hindu’s and Muslims prayed to their creators, without any formal or evident partition, and this seems to be one of the reasons, the property was divided amongst both major religious sections in India.
Being a Hindu majority, the people of Ayodhya are three times more in number than the Muslims. PM Manmohan Singh reiterated that “There should be no attempt whatsoever made by any section of the people to provoke any other section or to indulge in any expression of emotion that would hurt the feelings of other people.” At the same time the government banned bulk text messaging, MMS, arrested thousands and also got affidavits signed by potential trouble makers. A heavy contingent of law enforcement agencies, including the military was standing guard around the cities of the country and Section 144 remained applicable nationally to avert any untoward incidents.
One may wonder, that if the judges did not find evidence of the Sunni Waqf being the owners of the land, then why was one third of land allotted to them? Similarly, the Hindu party was also not able to provide evidence if the land belonged to them. It appears that the Indian Judiciary has used the law of necessasity as a favor for the Muslims and Hindus, by offering one third of land to each (Hindu/Muslims/Nirmohi Akhara) in order to accommodate their sentiments in spite of improper evidence provided by the defense? At the moment, there is a Hindu Temple right where the dome of the Mosque was and that location is believed to be the birth place of their God Ram, and that particular place is allotted for the Temple to remain. The Nirmohi Akhara are allotted the place where according to them in 1855 Ram Chabutra and Seeta Rasoi came into existence.
This decision of sharing the land between three beneficiaries will start taking its course and set to sink into the communities in the days to come, with possible or no reactions from around the world. The courts have allowed three months for each of them to file for suggestion for preparing the final decree, which may be released with minor adjustments to accommodate amicably and the affected party compensated. The decision appears to be logical, however, I feel that the Muslims will continue to demand the full premises to be their property and will wish to reconstruct the Mosque as it was originally built, as when the structure was destroyed in 1992 there were no signs of Hindu temples or idols placed there, which hold the potential for sparking further controversies.
It is a wish that the decision is absorbed maturely, and acceptable to all parties for further negotiation. One can only hope there is not a repeat of 1992, when 2000 men, women and children lost their lives. There are reasonable chances the Supreme Court may overturn this verdict, if Law is superior to beliefs and ‘doctrine of necessity’ in secular India.

(AAJ News Pakistan Ki Awaz)
Syed Ali Raza Abidi is a businessman and a young politician. He writes on issues of national interest. The views expressed by the author are personal and do not reflect the policy of AAJ News.
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