Jai Hind: Proud to be an Indian

December 6th marks the 15th anniversary of the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya. A highly contentious issue which has had repercussions almost all over the country. But, to date, not a single man has been tried in Court for the demolition of the Masjid though it was against the notice of the Supreme Court.

It is ironic that the convicts of the 1992 serial blasts in Mumbai which were the aftereffects of the Masjid demolition were tried in court and justice was given out this year. The longest running case in the history of the Indian Judicial system was closed. But not a single witness of the Babri Masjid Court had been brought to the Court till yesterday. The court in Rae Bareli recorded the statement of one Hanuman Prasad, who was then posted as a constable clerk in the Ramjanam Bhoomi Police outpost. Prasad told the court that he had registered the First Information Report (FIR), on the very day of the incident 15 years ago. Prasad has now gone on to become Assistant Sub Inspector. The case is also being heard in the Allahabad Bench of the Lucknow Court.

Babri Mosque is an inseparable part of the Indo-Islamic heritage, which grew and flourished for almost a 1000 years. It actually redefined the meaning of religious tolerance and cultural cohesion in the Indian Sub-continent. It was built by the Mughal Emperor Babar. Tens of thousands of people allied mainly to the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) razed the 16th-century mosque on December 6th.

Senior BJP leader and former deputy Prime Minister L K Advani during his deposition before the Commission termed the demolition of disputed Babri Masjid as the saddest day of his life, which he repudiated in Pakistan in his recent visit. The demolition of the Babri Mosque was a serious blow to Indian secularism and the fundamental rights granted by the Indian Constitution

This brings us to face the vagaries of the Indian Judicial System, in which legal battles sometimes are never ending ones. Nearly 300 million cases are pending in courts all over India. Its shocking to come to terms with the fact that for a country of a billion plus people, there are only thirteen judges per million people.

To this day, the issue remains as hot as it was on the day the unfortunate event took place. It has the sentiments of two religious communities attached with it. The event which led to riots, bomb blasts in major cities of India is yet to be dealt with. But the Indian judicial system which works at s Snail’s pace has ensured that justice has been delayed. To the families of the victims commiserations will not be enough.

Once a terror attack or a riots case is off the front page of Newspapers or the Prime time slots, so is our vigil. But the Law can’t just forget and forgive. . Political games should be kept aside and the true perpetrators be punished. Terrorism, vandalism and violence knows no Religion and nor should the Law.

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