Was the demolition of the Babri Masjid unscripted or pre-meditated? Journalists present in Ayodhya on 6 December 1992 say there was a method to the madness. Praveen Jain, veteran photo-journalist with The Indian Express, is a prime witness in the conspiracy case against senior BJP leaders like LK Advani, MM Joshi and Uma Bharti. The photographs shot by Jain, a day prior to the demolition, capture the rehearsal conducted by kar sevaks to bring down the three domes of the 15th century mosque.
Speaking to The Quint, he recalls how it started. “The press was made to assemble on a deck that was a couple of stories high and offered a clear view of the Babri Masjid. Suddenly, they started beating us up and threw our cameras to the ground. They did not want anything recorded.”
As a result, information on what was happening in the temple town was sketchy and not all media houses were able to record the frenzy on their cameras. However, 25 years on, one can piece together the events that took place on the demolition day. Here’s a roundup of the 12 hours that led to the razing down of the mosque.