NEW DELHI, 15 May 2003 — Muslim leaders have expressed their resentment over the center’s stand on the demolished Babri Mosque in Ayodhya, saying the authorities are taking sides with hard-line Hindu groups when they should be neutral.
The reaction was in response to the government’s lawyer deposing before the M.S. Liberhan Commission that there was no dispute that the site where the 16th century mosque once stood in the Uttar Pradesh town was the birthplace of Hindu deity Ram.
Syed Shahabuddin, a member of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, told IANS: “It is clear that the government is taking the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) line. The government’s stand was not only unreasonable and uncalled for but also in violation of the spirit of the secular order.
“In an inter-community conflict, the state is expected to remain neutral. But they have shown where their heart lies.”
The Liberhan Commission is inquiring into events that led to the demolition of the medieval mosque on Dec. 6, 1992. Several top leaders of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), including Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani, have been accused of inciting the demolition.
Groups like the VHP claim Mughal dynasty founder Babar had built the mosque after pulling down a temple.
Lala Ram Gupta, counsel for the central government, told the commission Monday: “It is admitted by one and all that the site in dispute is the Ram Janambhoomi (Ram’s birthplace). The only dispute is whether there existed a temple which was demolished and a mosque was built (in that place).”
Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan said: “It clearly shows that the government is taking a partisan stand. It shows the communal bias. They are completely in the hands of the VHP.
“There is no historical proof of a character like Ram. So a government cannot give any statement on myth.”
A special bench of the Allahabad High Court is hearing the title suit on the disputed site in Ayodhya.
The Archaeological Survey of India has been asked to submit a report to the court after excavating the site to determine whether a temple stood there before the Babri mosque was built.
Aziz Burney, editor of the Urdu daily Rashtriya Sahara said: “The government is going beyond its limits. The government should show the basis and logic for its arguments. If they do not have any proof, it means they are distorting facts.”
Abdul Hameed Nomani, a spokesman for the Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind, told IANS: “It is unfortunate but not shocking. The government had made it clear on several occasions that it was with the hard-line Hindu groups. The government has always supported them directly or indirectly.
“We hope political parties that are supporting Vajpayee would now wake up.”
But Shahabuddin said the government counsel’s arguments were irrelevant and there was not much cause for alarm.
“The Liberhan Commission is looking into the circumstances that led to the demolition of the mosque. It is not concerned by the historical facts or the ownership of the land. So this statement is irrelevant. There is no need to worry,” he said.
