Ajay Kumar at 07:08, 24 August 2023

2023-08-24T07:08:35Z

New page

{{Short description|Police firing in Ayodhya}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2017}}
{{Use Indian English|date=May 2017}}
[[File:Dead Karsevaks in Ayodhya(Oct 1990).jpg|thumb|right|Bodies of dead karsevaks]]
{{Ayodhya debate}}

The '''Ayodhya firing''' describes the occasion when the [[Uttar Pradesh police]] opened fire at civilians on two separate days, 30{{nbsp}}October 1990 and 2{{nbsp}}November 1990, in the aftermath of the [[Ram Rath Yatra]].<ref name="thehindu1"/> The civilians were religious volunteers, or ''[[kar sevak]]s'', assembled near the [[Ram Janmabhoomi]] site at [[Ayodhya]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://currentaffairsnight.blogspot.com/2019/11/top-5-current-affairs-related-to.html?m=1|title=Ayodhya verdict|last=Subudhi|first=Bibek Krushna|date=12 Nov 2019|publisher=12 Nov 2019|language=en}}</ref>
The state government's official records report that 50 people were killed.<ref name="thehindu1">{{cite news|url=https://currentaffairsnight.blogspot.com/2019/11/top-5-current-affairs-related-to.html?m=1|title=Ayodhya verdict|last=Subudhi|first=Bibek Krushna|date=12 Nov 2019|newspaper=Current affairs night|access-date=12 Nov 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.currentaffairsnight.com/2019/11/top-5-current-affairs-related-to.html?m=1|title=Ayodhya verdict|last=Subudhi|first=Bibek Krishna|date=12 November 2019|website=www.currentaffairsnight.com|access-date=12 Nov 2019|archive-date=6 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201006082623/https://www.currentaffairsnight.com/2019/11/top-5-current-affairs-related-to.html?m=1|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web|url=https://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2012/12/10/ayodhya-the-battle-for-indias-soul-the-complete-story/ |title=Ayodhya, the Battle for India's Soul: The Complete Story – India Real Time – WSJ |website=Blogs.wsj.com |date=2012-12-10 |access-date=2017-05-24}}</ref><ref name="googleusercontent1">{{cite web|url=http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:http://vhp.org/shriram-janmabhumi-mukti-andolan/mov1-shriram-janmabhumi-mukti-andolan-2/&gws_rd=cr&ei=xQEgWYuDAsHXvATo36D4DQ |title=Shriram Janmabhumi Mukti Andolan 2 | Vishva Hindu Parishad | Official Website |website=Webcache.googleusercontent.com |access-date=2017-05-24}}</ref><ref name="google1">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PebdkPS0fhMC&dq=karseva+firing&pg=PT71 |title=Portraits from Ayodhya |author=Scharada Dubey |year=2012 |page=71 |isbn=9789381626214 |access-date=2017-05-24}}</ref>

==Background==
In September 1990 the [[Vishwa Hindu Parishad]] (VHP), the [[Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh]] (RSS) and the [[Shiv Sena]] campaigned for the Ram Temple to be rebuilt at the Ram Janmabhoomi site. The situation became volatile, with [[L. K. Advani]] conducting ''[[Ratha-Yatra|rath yatra]]'' and the VHP mobilizing people to the site. The state government, under [[Mulayam Singh Yadav]], promised protection and a complete lockdown of the site and city.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/it-is-wholly-needless-why-all-this-tamasha-about-ayodhya-devi-lal/1/315843.html |title=It is wholly needless. Why all this tamasha about Ayodhya?: Devi Lal : Voices – India Today 15111990 |website=Indiatoday.intoday.in |date=1990-11-15 |access-date=2017-05-24}}</ref> Yadav reassured the public: "No bird would be able to fly into Ayodhya".<ref name="internethindu1990">{{cite web |url=http://internethindu.in/ayodhya-massacre-of-hindu-devotees-in-1990-which-no-media-will-talk-about/ |title=Ayodhya massacre of Hindu devotees in 1990 which no media will talk about | Internet Hindu |website=Internethindu.in |date=2017-02-24 |access-date=2017-05-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170607193020/http://internethindu.in/ayodhya-massacre-of-hindu-devotees-in-1990-which-no-media-will-talk-about/ |archive-date=7 June 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="livemint1">{{cite web|url=http://www.livemint.com/Opinion/v3i0ojYgZQhHh1DLlhb0yO/We-fall-get-up-and-march-forward.html |title=We fall, get up and march forward |website=Livemint.com |access-date=2017-05-24}}</ref>

==Timeline==
===21 October 1990===
Volunteers, or ''[[Kar Sevak|kar sevaks]]'' first assembled in [[Ayodhya]], at the behest of L. K. Advani of the BJP and [[Ashok Singhal]] of the VHP, on 21{{nbsp}}October 1990.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/pdf/LAC-Chap-IV.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=21 May 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180117131150/http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/pdf/LAC-Chap-IV.pdf |archive-date=17 January 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===30 October 1990===
Called "the D-Day of Karseva" 30{{nbsp}}October saw the start of unprecedented security arrangements.<ref name="autogenerated1"/> Police barred all bus and train services to Ayodhya. Most ''kar sevaks'' reached Ayodhya by foot; some swam across the [[Sarayu River (Ayodhya)|Sarayu river]]. The police also barricaded the 1.5 km-long climb to the disputed structure and imposed a curfew. According to the investigatory [[Liberhan Commission]] report, issued after the event:
* 28,000 [[Uttar Pradesh Provincial Armed Constabulary]] personnel were deployed in [[Ayodhya]]
* Out of 40,000 ''kar sevaks'', only 10,000 managed to reach Ayodhya

At around 10am, a large group of ''kar sevaks'' headed towards the site, led by Vamadev, [[Mahant]] [[Nritya Gopal Das]], and Ashok Singhal of the VHP. Ashok Singhal was wounded on the head by a police baton. This altercation led to a mob frenzy and open confrontation between civilians and policemen.

At around 11am, a Hindu holyman or ''[[sadhu]]'' managed to gain control of an Armed Constabulary bus in which the police were holding detainees. The ''sadhu'' drove the bus right through the barricades, clearing a way for the others to follow on foot. The security forces were caught off guard and were forced to chase about 5,000 ''kar sevaks'', who stormed through the heavily guarded site.<ref name="internethindu1990"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://ancientindia.co.in/cold-blooded-massacre-of-kar-sewaks-in-ayodia/ |title=Cold blooded massacre of kar sewaks in Ayodhya |publisher=Ancient India |access-date=2017-05-24}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/soc.culture.indian/ar0veVlynn0 |title=Google Groups |website=Groups.google.com |access-date=2017-05-24}}</ref> According to eyewitnesses the Kothari brothers mounted a [[Bhagwa Dhwaj|saffron flag]] atop the [[Babri Masjid]].<ref>{{cite web|first1=Sujit|last1=Nath|access-date=2020-09-20|title=Martyrs or Victims: Kothari Brothers Who Laid Down Their Lives for Ram Mandir|url=https://www.news18.com/news/immersive/25-years-of-babri-demolition/martyrs-or-victims.html|website=[[News 18]]|date=5 December 2017}}</ref>

===1 November 1990===
Hindu groups took a day to cremate and pay homage to the lives lost on 1{{nbsp}}November.

===2 November 1990===
Assembled ''kar sevaks'' offered prayers(Pooja) at [[Ramlila]] on the morning of 2{{nbsp}}November and then proceeded to [[Babri Masjid]]. Members of the crowd used the strategy of touching security personnel's feet, which made them withdraw a step. This worked for a while, and the procession continued. However, the police took firm action by using [[tear gas]] and baton charges to disperse the crowd.<ref name="livemint1"/> Nevertheless, some contingents of ''kar sevaks'' reached and partially damaged the mosque.

In response the police opened fire for the second time in 72 hours, and chased ''kar sevaks'' through the alleys around [[Hanumangarhi]]. In one place, later named ''Shaheed Gali'' or Martyr's Alley, police killed many ''kar sevaks''{{snd}}this included the Kothari Brothers, who were allegedly dragged out of a house.

Some Indians have accused the police of disposing of many dead bodies, either by cremating them at unknown places or by dumping them into the Saryu River in sacks.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJhgJJP2mbE |title="जय श्री राम" बोलते अमर बलिदानी कार सेवक 2) |publisher=[[YouTube]] |access-date=2017-05-24}}</ref>

==Deaths==
List of killed karsevaks and their city of residence:
* The Kothari Brothers ([[Kolkata]])
* Setharam Mali ([[Jodhpur]])
* Ramesh Kumar ([[Ganganagar]])
* Mahavir Prasad ([[Faizabad]])
* Ramesh Pandey ([[Ayodhya]])
* Sanjay Kumar ([[Muzaffarpur]])
* Professor Mahendranath Arora (Jodhpur)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://indiankanoon.org/docfragment/1060043/?formInput=ayodhya%20firing |title=Miss. Veera Arora vs Life Insurance Corporation And ... on 18 November, 1999 |website=Indiankanoon.org |date=1999-11-18 |access-date=2017-05-24}}</ref>
* An unnamed sadhu<ref name="googleusercontent1"/>
* Rajendra Dharkar<ref name="google1"/>
* Babulal Tiwari (from the village of Nemavar)<ref>{{cite web|author=Sachin Pilankar |url=http://www.hvk.org/specialarticles/saga/saga.html |title=The Saga Of Ayodhya |website=Hvk.org |access-date=2017-05-24}}</ref>

==Wounded survivors==
Wounded survivors of the attack included:<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xD60F8DsaC4&t=2s |title=1990 Me Ram Janm Bhumi Andolan Mey Hinduo Per Goli Chalati Mullayam Sarkar...(raja singh) |publisher=[[YouTube]] |date=1984-10-31 |access-date=2017-05-24}}</ref>
* Sangram Keshari Mohapatra (Odisha)
* Sunil Kumar
* Rajnarain Singh ([[Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh|Sultanpur]])
* Vishwajeet ([[Patel Nagar]], [[Delhi]])
* Rambahadur ([[Badayun]])
* Abhay Kumar ([[Asansol]])

==Aftermath==
News of the shootings was mostly suppressed from the [[Media of India|Indian media]], but some local and international media outlets mentioned them.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1990/10/31/page/5/article/indian-troops-kill-5-hindus-in-mosque |title=October 31, 1990 – Indian troops kill 5 Hindus in mosque | Chicago Tribune Archive |website=Archives.chicagotribune.com |date=1990-10-31 |access-date=2017-05-24}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Barbara Crossette |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/10/31/world/20-die-in-india-as-hindus-storm-disputed-mosque.html |title=20 Die in India as Hindus Storm Disputed Mosque |location=Iraq; Kuwait; Middle East |website=[[The New York Times]] |date=1990-10-31 |access-date=2017-05-24}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=5HhUAAAAIBAJ&sjid=e48DAAAAIBAJ&pg=5481%2C8075744 |title=Archived copy |access-date=21 May 2017 |archive-date=7 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201007193610/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=5HhUAAAAIBAJ&sjid=e48DAAAAIBAJ&pg=5481%2C8075744 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=lTEyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=E-YFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4539%2C363237 |title=Archived copy |access-date=21 May 2017 |archive-date=9 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210309031424/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=lTEyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=E-YFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4539%2C363237 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=PfdTAAAAIBAJ&sjid=oIwDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6387%2C999461 |title=Archived copy |access-date=21 May 2017 |archive-date=9 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210309064709/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=PfdTAAAAIBAJ&sjid=oIwDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6387%2C999461 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The firing incident had a major impact on Uttar Pradesh and on [[Politics of India|Indian national politics]].

The [[Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh]] was given the [[sobriquet]] ‘Mulla’ [[Mulayam Singh Yadav|Mulayam Singh]] for his pro-muslim stance during the incident. He lost the 1991 election to the [[Bharatiya Janata Party]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Aviral Virk |url=https://www.thequint.com/explainers/2015/12/08/ayodhya-deqoded-part-6-the-making-of-mullah-mulayam |title=Ayodhya DeQoded, Part 6: The Making of "Mullah Mulayam" |publisher=The Quint |date=2017-02-01 |access-date=2017-05-24}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/ghost-of-1990-haunts-ayodhya-as-both-vhp-and-sp-try-to-play-comunal-card-on-84-kosi-yatra/1/300657.html |title=Ayodhya braces for a showdown as Akhilesh's govt bans VHP yatra |website=Indiatoday.intoday.in |date=2013-08-22 |access-date=2017-05-24}}</ref> he described his decision to fire on the crowd in Ayodhya as "painful yet necessary as it was ordered by the high court to maintain peace, law and order till the judgement come out ."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/lucknow/Decision-to-order-firing-in-Ayodhya-painful-Mulayam-Singh-Yadav/articleshow/53892287.cms |title=Decision to order firing in Ayodhya painful: Mulayam Singh Yadav |website=Timesofindia.indiatimes.com |date=2016-08-28 |access-date=2017-05-24}}</ref><ref name="thehindu1"/>

People of the Hindu community arranged a memorial meeting for the dead Karsevaks on April{{nbsp}}4, 1991 at the Boat Club, New Delhi, which attracted a large audience.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://vhp.org/shriram-janmabhumi-mukti-andolan/mov1-shriram-janmabhumi-mukti-andolan/ |title=Shriram Janmabhumi Mukti Andolan 1 | Vishva Hindu Parishad | Official Website |access-date=2017-05-21 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150321180231/http://vhp.org/shriram-janmabhumi-mukti-andolan/mov1-shriram-janmabhumi-mukti-andolan |archive-date=21 March 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/vhp-gains-strength-with-each-passing-day-poised-to-play-key-role-in-coming-polls/1/318216.html |title=VHP gains strength with each passing day, poised to play key role in coming polls : Special Report – India Today 30041991 |website=Indiatoday.intoday.in |date=1991-04-30 |access-date=2017-05-24}}</ref> They also launched a nationwide awareness program displaying the ''Asthi Kalash'' (funeral urns) of those who died in the firing incident.<ref name="google1"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/23714/11/11_chapter%204.pdf |title=Chapter-Iv |website=Shodganga.inflibnet.ac.in |access-date=2017-05-24}}</ref> In the following years, these organizations and their prominent leaders received both political and moral endorsement.

On{{nbsp}}6 December 1992, a large group of ''kar sevaks'' completely [[Demolition of the Babri Masjid|demolished Babri Masjid]].

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}
{{Faizabad division topics}}

[[Category:Ayodhya dispute]]
[[Category:Vishva Hindu Parishad]]
[[Category:1990 in India]]
[[Category:1990s in Uttar Pradesh]]
[[Category:Deaths by firearm in India]]

Ayodhya firing incident - Revision history

Ajay Kumar at 07:08, 24 August 2023