Rahila Gupta

The Babri Masjid verdict was a dark day for India

New Humanist, 2nd October 2020

Nearly 30 years after the destruction of the mosque by Hindu fanatics, the court judgment confirms fears for India’s future.

Babri Masjid demolition, 1992. Image: Ayman Aumi

 

A special court in India has acquitted all senior figures in the ruling party of their role in the Babri mosque demolition. While the world’s attention was fixated on the Trump / Biden debate, the judgment confirmed fears that Indian democracy is but a shell of its former self.

The case has been ongoing for decades, since Hindu rioters destroyed the mosque in Ayodhya, arguing that it was built on top of a temple which marked the birthplace of the Hindu god Ram. On 30 September, all 32 of those accused of conspiracy to demolish the mosque in 1992 were acquitted. All are members of the ruling party, the BJP. They were accused of mobilising a mob of thousands, armed with axes, hammers and crowbars, on that fateful day in December, and are affiliated, through the party, with the VHP (Vishwa Hindu Parishad) and the fascistic RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh).

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