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.
The Arrival
On 6 December 1992 at least 2,00,000 kar sevaks arrived in Ayodhya from Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh.
6 AM: A steady stream of journalists and kar sevaks arrives at the disputed structure, RSS cadres wearing armbands cordon the boundary to limit the symbolic kar seva to the platform that had been raised in defiance of the Court’s orders. The plan was for kar sevaks to bring water and sand from the Sarayu river and scrub the platform clean and to perform prayers.
10 AM: Senior BJP leaders like LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi, who had concluded their rath yatras after travelling within UP to mobilise support for the kar seva, arrive at the platform to review the arrangements.
10:30 AM: The senior BJP, RSS, VHP and Bajrang Dal leaders move to the dais on the roof of the Ram Katha Kunj, about 200 metres away.
Exodus
11 AM: The cleaning commences and the sadhus begin chanting prayers. Within minutes, the first of the several wooden barriers that had been set up overnight are breached by kar sevaks wearing bright yellow bands. The RSS volunteers are seen trying to stop the angry kar sevaks from barging into the cordoned area. A long loud whistle is heard and kar sevaks are seen moving towards the breach point. The slogan –“Mandir yaheen banayenge” can be heard.
11:15 AM: At the platform, more kar sevaks barge into the cordoned area and move towards the barbed wire cordon protecting the disputed structure from the area in which the prayers are on. PAC personnel and RSS cadres try and stop the kar sevaks, but are forced to take cover after the crowds outside start pelting stones.
11: 30 AM: A teenager scales the protective steel railings and jumps through the barbed wire. Within minutes, he is seen on top of one of the smaller domes of the disputed structure. With the kar sevaks’ attack becoming fiercer, the armed police have no option but to run for cover. Hundreds of kar sevaks are seen moving towards the disputed structure with ropes, hammers, pickaxes and sickles.
The 'Attack'
11:45 AM: Another loud whistle is heard and a concerted attack begins on journalists who can be identified with prominent pink badges given to them by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad organisers a day earlier. Cameras are smashed to the ground, other recording devices, pens and notebooks are snatched away. Those who try to resist are physically attacked.
12 PM: When the onslaught looks inevitable, paramilitary forces remove Lord Ram’s idols from the sanctum sanctorum. All three domes of the structure are drowned in angry kar sevaks who hammer away at the concrete.
12:30 PM: Senior leaders like Advani make a feeble attempt to convince the kar sevaks to stop, but his pleas go unheard.
The Collapse of a Structure and Religious Harmony
2 PM: The first dome collapses. About 25 kar sevaks are buried under the concrete and the dust cloud. They are extricated immediately and rushed to the hospital.
3:30 PM: The second dome gives way.
5 PM: The main dome collapses with a loud thud. In the distance, smoke can be seen billowing from houses belonging to Muslims. Angry kar sevaks had gone on a rampage after the demolition.
6 PM: Water is pumped into a crude mud tank-like structure. Kar sevaks begin mixing cement and laying a staircase to the sanctum sanctorum. A tent is pitched and Ram Lalla’s idols are brought back.
What Followed?
At least 2,000 people were killed in the ensuing riots. Subsequently, the entire area was barricaded and a court-appointed caretaker was entrusted to worship the idols of Ram. But nothing about Indian politics has been the same since.
The Allahabad HC ordered a survey in 2003 to find out whether a temple existed on the site. The Archaeological Survey of India’s report following an excavation, claimed that the remains of a 10th century temple had been found beneath the mosque.
The Supreme Court commenced the final hearing of the case on 5 December 2017, a day before the 25th anniversary of the Babri Masjid demolition.
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