How Kalyan Singh Paved way for Babri Demolition?

Ground Report | New Delhi: How Kalyan Singh Paved way for Babri; Kalyan Singh, former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh passed away on Saturday. He was ill for a long time and was admitted to a hospital in Lucknow. Several leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party and other parties, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, have condoled his death.

ALSO READ: Former UP CM Kalyan Singh passes away

How Kalyan Singh Paved way for Babri

Singh had said in an interview to Hindustan Times in 2020 said that he was proud of his decision to deny permission in writing to the question of allowing him to fire at Kar Sevaks in Ayodhya on December 6, 1992. Kar Sevaks had gathered at the site of Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid to protest against the mosque. The mosque is believed to have been built where Lord Rama was once born and there was a Ram temple. The Supreme Court last year ruled on a decades-old dispute and ordered the construction of a Ram temple at the disputed site.

On 6 December 1992, the protests became uncontrollable and the Babri Masjid was demolished by alleged Kar Sevaks. At that time, there was Kalyan Singh's government in Uttar Pradesh. After this incident, Kalyan Singh's government fell and President's rule was imposed in the state. 

ALSO READ: ‘No vote to BJP’ Facebook group disabled, reactivate it after protests

Kalyan Singh had filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court saying that his government would not allow anything to happen to the mosque. Kalyan Singh was blamed for this demolition. He also resigned on 6 December 1992, taking moral responsibility for the demolition of Babri Masjid. The central government dismissed the BJP government of UP.

Kalyan Singh’s Purported Role in demolition of Babri Masjid

The demolition was a violent affair, followed by months of inter-communal riots, resulting in a total of about 2,000 deaths. A 2009 report by Justice Manmohan Singh Liberhan, who was appointed by the Indian government to investigate the demolition, criticized Singh for his alleged role. According to the Times of India, the report identified the Kalyan Singh-led BJP government as the key to the execution of the demolition.

Claiming that since its inception, the government was determined to implement the demolition, the report alleged that Singh deployed bureaucrats and police officers in Ayodhya, whose records show that they were involved in the demolition.

However, a CBI court acquitted Kalyan Singh and 31 other accused in the case in September 2020. “Perhaps it was destiny that the structure (structure) would be demolished with me as the chief minister. Had the demolition not taken place, perhaps even the courts would have ordered the status quo. So, in a sense, it was the demolition that really paved the way for the 5th August Bhoomi Pujan, and naturally, I am excited."

You can connect with Ground Report on Facebook, Twitter, and Whatsapp, and mail us at [email protected] to send us your suggestions and writeups.