From Yaum-e-Gham to Shourya Diwas: Anniversary of Babri Masjid demolition marked across India

In the context of a heated debate on religious intolerance, it was no surprise that the 23nd anniversary of the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya was an occasion for political posturing across the ideological spectrum. In Ayodhya, the day passed peaceful, even as it was marked as a day of sorrow by some organisations and as one of celebration by some others, The Indian Express reported. While the Babri Masjid Action Committee observed Yaum-e-Gham (Day of Sorrow), the Vishwa Hindu Paridhad celebrated Shaurya Diwas (Day of Courage) on 6 December. This was the day on which the Babri Masjid was demolished in 1993 — a cataclysmic event which brought about a major change in politics in the country. [caption id=“attachment_2535836” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File photo. Image courtesy: AFP[/caption]   Meanwhile, the day was marked by different outfits in other parts of the country. The Shiv Sena in Punjab observed ‘Shourya Diwas’ on Sunday and said that the Narendra Modi government should go ahead and build a Ram temple, saying that it was an issue of faith for Hindus. Earlier, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray had hit out at the BJP during the party’s annual Dussehra rally, with its jibe of ‘mandir wahin banayenge, lekin tarikh nahi batayenge’ (We will build the temple there, but will not say when), as reported by The Indian Express. On the other hand, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) held a rally to mark ‘Sanhati Diwas’ (Unity Day) on Sunday, and said that there ‘should be atmosphere of brotherhood’ and that ’everybody should be able to live freely’. However, more than two decades on, the Ram temple issue appears to be losing steam, if recent poll campaigns are anything to go by. Ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP did make a mention of the Ram temple, but the issue found a place only on the second to last page as a brief reference, The Times of India reported. With the leading faces of the agitation, including LK Advani, Uma Bharti and Murli Manohar Joshi being overshadowed by a new generation of leaders in the BJP, the likelihood of the issue gaining traction again appears slim. Interestingly, former BJP MP Ramvilas Vedanti drew a connection between the demand for a Ram temple and the uniform civil code. Vedanti said that when the uniform civil code is implemented, he will ‘assume that the foundation of the Ram temple is laid’. The statement has been made in context of a renewed debate on the uniform civil code in the country. On Monday, the Supreme Court refused to entertain a plea seeks directions to implement such a code. The Supreme Court, while declining to intervene in the matter, has said that the Parliament should take a view on it, PTI reported. Two weeks earlier, a Muslim group, the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan, had written a letter to Modi , saying that Indian Muslims needed to have their own codified personal law. The group has demanded a ban on polygamy and has sought compulsory registration of marriages. With inputs from PTI