Babri demolition: Union Min Javadekar claims 'Historic wrong corrected on Dec 6, 1992'

Amid the ongoing 'fund-collection' drive for the Ram Mandir, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar on Sunday said that he was present at Ayodhya during the Babri Masjid demolition - terming it a 'historical mistake which was corrected'. Addressing a public meeting at Delhi, Javadekar reminisced his days as a 'karsevak', present on site when the three domes of the Babri masjid were brought down, he said that the 'mosque' was just a 'disputed structure'. All 32 leaders accused in the Babri masjid demolition have been acquitted by a CBI trial court.

"When foreign invaders like Babur came to India, why did he destroy Ram mandir? There are lakhs of temples in India. He realised that the soul of the country resides in the Ram temple, hence it was attacked. After its attack a disputed structure was erected - it was not a masjid as no prayers were offered there. I am a witness at Ayodhya on Dec 6 1992, I used to do work of the Yuva Morcha," said Javadekar.

He added, "We were present at Ayodhya as 'karsevaks', I was on the platform. Lakhs of karsevaks slept around the disputed area - a day before. Three domes were seen. The next day the world saw how a historical mistake was corrected."

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All 32 accused acquitted

After 28 years, on 30 September 2020, pronouncing the 2000-page verdict, Special CBI judge Surendra Kumar Yadav observed that demolition was not "pre-planned" and happened in the "spur of the moment", acquitting all 32 accused including several BJP veterans  - L.K Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Uma Bharti. The trial judge had refused to accept newspaper clippings and video clips as evidence because the originals were not produced before the court. He also observed that the CBI was unable to produce any evidence that the accused had a mutual assent with the 'kar sevaks’ who demolished the structure.

Babri demolition verdict: Two witnesses challenge acquittal of all 32 accused by CBI court

Contending this verdict, two witnesses - Haji Mahboob, 70, and Hafiz Sayyad Akhlaq, 80 - who reportedly lived in close proximity to the Babri mosque when it was demolished by a mob of karsevaks filed a plea in the Allahabad High Court. The petitioners contended that the CBI court committed an error in acquitting the accused despite having ample evidence on record. The petitioners have sought that the record from the trial court summoned, its verdict set aside, and all the 32 accused be held guilty and punished accordingly. The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad HC is currently hearing the plea.

Babri Masjid Demolition Case: Allahabad HC to hear plea challenging acquittal of accused

Babri Masjid Demolition

On December 6, 1992 a rally had been allegedly organised in the disputed Ram Janmabhoomi area where the 16th century Babri Masjid stood - which attracted 1,50,000 kar sevaks. The rally - allegedly organised by the BJP & VHP - turned violent when kar sevaks attacked security personnel and demolished the mosque. The demolition caused communal riots which caused deaths of thousands. The Supreme Court has already given a unanimous verdict on the Ram Janmabhoomi- Babri Masjid land dispute on November 9, 2019 - awarding the disputed land to the Hindus and a 5-acre land in replacement to the Muslims.

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