What the last imam of Babri Masjid told me a few months before the demolition – By Shikha Trivedy
Haji Abdul Gaffar was the last imam of the Babri Masjid, till one night in 1949 an idol of Ram Lalla was secretly placed under its central dome and the district administration allowed a priest to perform his daily puja.
“Ayodhya means a place without war, but I knew that this act would lead to bloodshed not just here but across the entire Awadh region, which we consider Ram’s Janmabhoomi, and even outside,” Imam Haji Abdul Gaffar had told me a few months before the demolition of the Babri Masjid on 6 December 1992 by thousands of freshly-minted Ram bhakts, who called themselves karsevaks.…
Now, 70 years after Haji Abdul Gaffar was locked out of the Babri Masjid following Ram Lalla’s ‘miraculous’ appearance inside its premises, the Supreme Court will give the final verdict on the title claims, which will determine whether a temple, a mosque, or both will be built on the contested 2.77 acres of land.…
https://theprint.in/features/last-imam-babri-masjid-ayodhya-place-without-war/308316/
SEE ALSO:
- Ayodhya dispute: The complex legal history of India’s holy site – By Suchitra Mohanty (Oct 16, 2019, BBC)
https://www.bbc.com/news/amp/world-asia-india-50065277 - Kashi, Mathura Mosques on Hindutva’s hit list but that’s not all as India inches towards the Rashtra – By Teesta Setalvad (Oct 19, 2019, Sabrang India)
https://www.sabrangindia.in/article/kashi-mathura-mosques-hindutvas-hit-list-not-all-india-inches-towards-rashtra - Torn papers, rumours of a withdrawn suit: Here’s what happened on the final day of Ayodhya arguments – By Rohan Venkataramakrishnan (Oct 16, 2019, Scroll.in)
https://scroll.in/article/940735/torn-papers-rumours-of-a-withdrawn-suit-heres-what-happened-on-the-final-day-of-ayodhya-arguments - SC’s Ayodhya judgment will determine whether it responds to mood of the moment or leaves room for next generation – By Seema Chishti (Oct 18, 2019, Indian Express)
https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/a-space-for-the-future-government-bodies-accountable-for-future-ayodhya-hearing-6074974/
