SPEAKING at a function to release the book Destruction of the Babari Masjid: A National Dishonour, eminent historian Professor Romila Thapar said that the present book, which is third in the series on the issue, has shed further light on this shameful incident and the divisive politics surrounding it. The preceding two volumes of the series have also been penned by A G Noorani. She said that, together, the three volumes comprehensively document almost all aspects pertaining to the destruction of the Babari Masjid. 

A G Noorani’s book Destruction of the Babari Masjid: A National Dishonour published by Tulika, New Delhi (2014), was launched at a function held at India International Centre, New Delhi, on December 4, 2014. The book is a compilation of legal documents, reports, details of criminal cases pertaining to the issue. Besides, the book provides important historical and legal insights into the politics of the demolition of the mosque.

The book raises several pertinent questions, said Prof Thapar. She remarked that what happened to Babari Masjid should be seen in the context of what happens when religion is used to foment hostility. The Babari Masjid issue should also be viewed as an attempt by divisive political forces to appropriate the religious sphere.

In her comments Prof Thapar placed the Babari Masjid issue within a larger historical context.  She said that if one goes through historical texts one realises that in the past there were several instances of violent acts against sacred sites. For instance, we have evidence of Buddhist sites being attacked and destroyed, and monks killed, by shaivites. The Rājtarangani and similar literary sources are, she said, replete with examples of hostile acts carried out in the name of religion. Such hostile acts, she said, are also seen during the early Turkish invasions which witnessed destruction of religious sites. Prof Thapar pointed out that Hindu and Muslim rulers at times desecrated their own temples and mosques respectively. In this context she again cited Rājtarangani in which one comes across several references of such instances.

She further cited the example of Mahmud of Ghazni. She argued that the Ghazni carried out many raids on India and destroyed several temples. But it was not just temples that were destroyed by him. Chronicles talk about the destruction of mosques as well such as the one in Multan which was a Shia place of worship. Destruction of temples should not be seen purely in terms of religious hostility. Greed of wealth was an important factor that led to several attacks and destruction, such as those by Mahmud, of many temples. The destruction of temples as well as mosques should also be seen as a way of asserting authority. 

It is perhaps because of this, she noted, that one does not see any references to the destruction of temples and mosques during the British colonial period. Such repositories of wealth escaped the wrath of the colonial state as it had other means of looting and asserting authority. It is not surprising that the largest number of such religious sites came to be protected monuments under the British Raj. It is important to understand the political motives leading to the destruction of religious sites.

Babari Masjid demolition is an instance, she said, where a religious issue was used to mobilise varied groups for the sole purpose of destruction. Further she noted that the historicity of Rama is a running theme in the whole Babari Masjid episode. Which notion of Rama is most appropriate is an important issue to be addressed in this particular case. The multiplicity of the Ram story, she observed, reflects the geographical and the sacred variants. Prof Thapar concluded her remarks by emphasizing that seeking revenge for historical ‘wrongs’ will result in unending violence.

AG Noorani in his remarks said that in the present volume, his main aim was to bring the issues related to the events up to date and discuss what could be done in future to prevent such ghastly criminal acts. He also pointed out that the issue of Babari Masjid is not of law alone and neither is it a question solely pertaining to Hindus and Muslims but it also raises questions about preserving the secular fabric of the country. Noorani drew attention to an important but little known comment made by Sushma Swaraj who had said that the Babari Masjid destruction was mainly a political event and had nothing to do with religion.