The Liberhan Commission report was at the centre of protests here today as various organisations marked the 17th anniversary of the demolition of the Babri Masjid, with some demanding implementation of its recommendations and others questioning its veracity.
Tight security was in place in the capital to ensure that no untoward incident takes place, as Muslim organisations observed the anniversary as ‘black day’, while some Hindu groups celebrated it as Vijay Diwas or victory day.
A heavy presence of security personnel was seen at the Parliament Street, where several groups, including All India Babri Masjid Rebuilding Committee (AIBMRC), the Popular Front of India (PFI), the Shiv Sena and Hindu Mahasabha converged.
AIBMRC members held a protest at Jantar Mantar demanding legal action against those indicted in the Liberhan report.
“BJP leader L K Advani and others mentioned as culprits should be arrested and tried on a fast-track basis. Legal action is necessary against the RSS, VHP, Bajrang Dal and Shiv Sena click because they violated the law of the land and caused great harm to the secular image of India,” said AIBMRC President Mohammed Younus Siddiqui.
They later submitted a memorandum to President Pratibha Patil to refer the Ayodhya dispute to the Supreme Court under Article 138-B of the Constitution for a “time-bound and binding” decision.
“Muslims respect the law of the land. They will respect whatever decion the SC gives, whether in favour of the mosque or the temple,” Mr. Siddiqui said.
The PFI, a confederation of Muslim organisations, which also held a dharna at the Jantar Mantar, demanded that the Election Commission of India scrap the recognition of BJP as a political party for its alleged complicity in the demolition of the over 400-year-old mosque.
“The ECI should scrap BJP’s political recognition. We also demand that the Congress fulfil its promise of rebuilding the mosque,” said K M Shareef, General Secretary, PFI.
Members of the Shiv Sena and Hindu Mahasabha also assembled on the Parliament Street, and pledged to strengthen the temple movement.
“Our movement has become stronger in the wake of the Liberhan Commission’s report being made public, which is nothing but a bundle of lies,” said Pandit Nandkishore Mishra, national Working President of the Hindu Mahasabha.
He warned the government against playing with the “sentiments of the Hindu community,” threatening “a powerful movement against pseudo-secularists“.
Another organisation Rashtravadi Sena observed the day as ’Vijay Diwas’ and held a march in east Delhi. The activists claimed that they were detained by police.
Adequate police personnel have been deployed across the city to ensure that no untoward incident take place, a senior police official said.
“We have taken adequate precaution to ensure that the day passes off peacefully. There are a number of programmes organised by several outfits. We have appealed to them to hold their programmes peacefully,” the official said.
