#7: Demolition Of the Babri Masjid in 1992
The deity, Rama is a pivotal figure in the religious faith of Hinduism ad his birthplace is considered to be a holy site. Historical and religious scripture alike has pronounced this place to be where the Babri masjid stood in the holy city of Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh. For over the past 400 years, this area has been used as a religious ground for both Muslims and Hindus — however, how could this be a religious site for these polar opposite religions?
The first claim that the mosque stood in this site was made by the Faizabad court in 1822. In 1959, the colonial administration under the British set up barricades and railings in order to separate different areas of the mosque to avoid religious tensions and violence. This remained as the state of being until idols of Rama began to appear within the mosque, allegedly by volunteers of the Hindu Mahasabha organization — resulting in a major religious uproar. Both parties from different religions began filing civil suits laying religious claims to the land and the placement of the Rama idols was seen as a violation and disrespectful action to the Muslim community. The gates to the site were subsequently locked. By the 1980s, religious parties such as the Vishva Hindu Parishad, with the backing of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) began to campaign for the construction of a temple at the site. This was endorsed by the Indian National Congress under Rajiv Gandhi as well. By the 1990s, BJP leaders began the Rath Yatra, a rally to generate support for the proposed temple.
On the 6th of December 1992, a monumental event took place — the Babri Masjid would be demolished. Members of the VHP, BJP and RSS began to organize a rally involving over 150,000 members at the site of the mosque. With a matter of religious tensions, the crowd began chanting slogans and became more aggressive. Structures were set up by the police to prevent any damage to the property, but this was to no avail as young protestors began climbing any and all structures. The storming of the mosque was signaled by a man who climbed a tall structure and brandished a saffron flag — a symbol of courage and sacrifice. A mob began who set upon the building with axes, hammers, and other such devices and destroyed the entire mosque from top to bottom.
But, what significance does the destruction of one mosque have on the entire nation?
The desecration of the Babri Mosque resulted in communal violence as it ignited a series of several months of inter-religious communal battling between Hindus and Muslims. Individuals would burn and loot homes, shops, and areas of worship. Riots spread all across the nation and eventually resulted in the death of 2000 individuals — a majority of who were Muslim.
Apart from the bloody aftermath, this has continued to shape Indian politics even today. In 2019, the Supreme Court of India, in a unanimous verdict under the BJP administration, ratified a document that would allow clearance for the construction of the long-awaited Ram Temple at the disputed site of Ayodhya. They further allotted a plot of land of 5 acres to the Sunni Waqf Board for the construction of a mosque.
