Just over a month after the Supreme Court verdict on the Ayodhya land dispute, a school in Karnataka has raked up controversy by recreating the demolition of Babri Masjid using schoolchildren. A video showing a group students tearing down a poster of the Masjid as a representation of the demolition has come in for criticism after it was shared on social media.
Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat, RSS leader and the president of the trust that operates the school, confirmed that the reenactment did indeed take place in his school and that he was “proud of them (students)”.
The event was also attended by Puducherry Lt Governor Kiran Bedi and Union Minister DV Sadananda Gowda.
The event was held on Sunday, 15 December, at Sri Rama Vidyakendra High School in Dakshina Kannada district’s Kalladka. According to Bhat, hundreds of students of classes 11 and 12 reenacted the events leading to demolition of Babri Majid with a running commentary in the background.
Towards the end of the play, on the narrator’s cue, students are seen running towards the poster of Babri Masjid. They tear and stomp on the poster as the narrator says, “With whatever they could find, they begin the demolition of Babri Masjid. They, devotees of Hanuman, high on emotions, thus bring down the Babri Masjid.”
This is followed by the children and crowd jumping in joy to the slogans of “Jai Sree Ram”
‘I’m Proud of Them’: School Trust President
When The Quint spoke to Prabhakar Bhatt Kalladka, the president of the Puttur Vivekananda Vidyarvaka Sangamya that the runs the school, he said he was proud of the students and promised that more such events will be held.
“I want to make something clear, it is not Babri Masjid but it was a “Babri Structure”. The day the structure was brought down was a historic day and it was important to tell our younger generation about it.”Prabhakar Bhatt Kalladka
When asked about whether such incidents would affect the communal harmony, especially since the Supreme Court has settled the matter, he said no. “Yes, there is a Supreme Court verdict, but do they (Muslims) agree with it? I strongly believe they don’t. So it is important that we showcase this victorious moment of the Hindu community,” he said.
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