Ayodhya: New analysis of historical records and court findings highlights how majoritarian propaganda shaped the events that led to the demolition of the Babri Mosque on December 6, 1992. Scholars and activists stress that key institutions of the Indian state ignored documented facts while endorsing a polarising narrative.
The popular claim that the Babri Mosque replaced a Ram temple has no support in historical or legal evidence. Prominent Hindu saints, including Tulsidas, made no reference to any destruction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya. The Supreme Court’s 2019 Ayodhya judgment also did not affirm the existence of a demolished temple. The Court recorded that the mosque was desecrated in December 1949 through unlawful placement of idols, and that its demolition in 1992 was a violation of the rule of law.
The timeline shows that the RSS and its affiliates avoided raising the Ram Temple issue for decades after Independence. The political push emerged in the late 1980s. Statements from leaders like L. K. Advani and Rama Vilas Vedanti reveal that faith was prioritised over historical accuracy.
Claims that Ayodhya witnessed centuries of religious conflict are contradicted by documented Hindu Muslim unity in the region. Records show joint resistance to British rule in 1857 and shared cultural traditions.
Muslims in Ayodhya pursued legal remedies rather than confrontation after the 1949 idol installation. The demolition in 1992 followed years of aggressive mobilisation. Observers describe the event as a struggle between majoritarian forces and the secular framework of the Indian state.
This is an extract of the originally written article for Sabrang India by Shamsul Islam
