31st Anniversary of the Destruction of the Babri Masjid
Today marks the 31st anniversary of the destruction of the ancient Babri Masjid in 1992 - a day of infamy, which led to three decades of violence and killings, with victims being mostly Muslims.
That singular violent act, which went unpunished, was instead rewarded by the courts and has changed the political landscape of a once tolerant India into a majoritarian-authoritarian state, with minorities under siege.
Hindu nationalist leaders declared then that they were proud of what they had done, and even today celebrate their heinous act every year as “Hindu Courage Day.” As Hindus, we reject the notion of glorifying a cowardly violent act into a heroic act.
Mihir Meghani, who later co-founded the Hindu American Foundation, published an essay shortly after the demolition of the Masjid, issuing an ultimatum of sorts to India’s 138 million Muslims, which was featured prominently on the website of the ruling BJP party:
He said, “Hindus are at last free...Truth won when Hindus...took the law into their own hands...Hindutva is here to stay. It is up to the Muslims whether they will be included in the new nationalistic spirit of Bharat.”
On this solemn day, as we remember all the victims of Hindu nationalist violence since the wanton destruction of an ancient religious site, we condemn the use of violence as a political tool, wherever it may be, and whoever may be resorting to it.
Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti.
— Raju Rajagopal