Indian Muslims remember Babri Mosque demolition

NEW DELHI—Indian Muslims on Wednesday observed the 14th anniversary of Babri Masjid demolition as a day of mourning and demanded that no new construction be undertaken in the acquired land complex in Ayodhya.
Meanwhile 16 Shiv Sena activists were arrested while trying to perform a ‘parikrama’ (circumambulation) of the acquired land while another Sainik was held in Naya Ghat locality for trying to torch the effigy of Mohammad Afzal Guru convicted in the Parliament attack case, according to a media report.
The Muslims observed the day as ‘Yaum-e-Gam’ and downed shutters in memory of the demolition of the mosque. Babri Mosque was demolished on December 6, 1992 in Ayodhya by extremist Hindu outfits.
Babri Masjid Action Committee (Ayodhya-Faizabad) chairman Mohammed Yunus Siddiqui said a memorandum had been sent to President A P J Abdul Kalam with eight-point demands including reconstruction of the demolished mosque as assured by former Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao and expediting of the hearing of the cases pending before the court.
It urged for maintaining the status quo of the acquired land, “no new construction work be undertaken for the proposed bullet-proofing” of the makeshift structure and barring entry of such persons who could disturb communal harmony and peace.
The memorandum also demanded action against “vested interests” who blamed Muslims for terrorism, implementation of the Sachar report for social and educational development of the community and three-language formula including Urdu.
The biggest problem that Muslims in India face today - which upper middle class Muslims did not face earlier - is a feeling of deep-seated fear and insecurity.
President of All India Democratic Women’s Association, Subhashini Ali said this in an interview to Indian Magazine Frontline.
After Gujarat and Babri Masjid, a strong feeling emerged that justice was not done. Today the bomb blasts are making headlines and people ought to be punished, but nobody remembers that the blasts came after the Bombay riots.—Agencies