Kalyan Singh and karsevaks atop the disputed structure (SwarajyaMag)
Following centuries of struggle, a majestic Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, at Ram Janmabhoomi, is set to be integrated in the next year. In a landmark decision, the Supreme Court of India granted the sacred site to Hindus, while allocating five acres of land to Muslims as an alternative. Throughout the movement advocating for the Temple’s construction at this sacred location, numerous individuals have played pivotal roles. Notably, one of the key figures in the Ram Janambhoomi Movement, during which the Babri Masjid was demolished, was the then Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Kalyan Singh.
During his tenure as Chief Minister, Kalyan Singh assumed the responsibility of maintaining law and order around the disputed structure. However, under his watch, the Babri Masjid was demolished, leading to his resignation on the same evening, where he took moral responsibility for the events that unfolded. Notably, Singh had earlier submitted an affidavit to the court, pledging not to permit any harm to the mosque.
Subsequent to the demolition, a CBI chargesheet was filed, implicating Kalyan Singh and other top leaders of the BJP in charges of criminal conspiracy. The chargesheet alleges that, during his swearing-in ceremony as Chief Minister, Singh, alongside veteran Murli Manohar Joshi and others, visited Ayodhya and swore a sacred vow to construct the temple. Singh is alleged to have stated, “In my tenure as Chief Minister of UP, a temple of Shri Ram will inevitably be constructed.” Additionally, a few days before the incident, he is claimed to have remarked, “The stay is on construction, not on destruction.”
As the legal proceedings unfold, this development adds another layer to the complex narrative surrounding the construction of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.
The CBI also alleged that consistent with the conspiracy to demolish the disputed structure, the state government acquired 2.77 acres of land in October 1991 “under the pretext of developing the same for tourism purposes.” It further states, “it is further evident from the investigation that Kalyan Singh in order to achieve the objectives of the criminal conspiracy as aforesaid not only failed to live up to its promises to protect the disputed structure but continued to aid and abet the criminal conspiracy to ensure its destruction.”
According to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Kalyan Singh made a public statement in Lucknow in 1993, asserting, “They don’t regret not being able to protect the controversial structure because it was a 464-year-old symbol of slavery.”
Throughout his political career, Kalyan Singh has consistently refused to express remorse for the events of 1992. In a 2009 interview with NDTV, Singh reiterated his stance, stating, “No regret. No repentance. No sorrow. No grief.”
During the interview, Kalyan Singh explained, “I had made all the necessary security arrangements and instructed the authorities to take all measures to protect the structure. However, I also made it clear that despite the presence of numerous Kar Sevaks, no bullets would be fired. This was my directive.” He continued, “It is not the fault of any authority; they followed my orders. If I had allowed it to happen, thousands of people would have died due to bullets and stampede, and the structure still wouldn’t have survived.”
The journalist conducting the interview displayed an apparent bias and insensitivity towards Hindus, characteristic of an NDTV journalist. He remarked, “You decided to divide crores of people to save the lives of a hundred.” In a display of unveiled bigotry, the interviewer asserted, “A thousand Kar Sevaks would have died if you had fired bullets, as per your own estimation. To save yourself from that sin, you committed the sin of dividing crores of people.”
During the interview, Kalyan Singh proudly asserted that he did not commit the sin of causing harm to Kar Sevaks. Furthermore, he expressed a controversial viewpoint, stating, “Many people say that the events of December 6, 1992, are a matter of national shame. I say that December 6, 1992, is not a matter of national shame but of national pride.”
The former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh argued that the events of that fateful day were merely a culmination of a series of incidents that had roots in the past. Singh pointed to the placement of idols inside the Masjid during the Congress regime as an early indication of the impending incident. This reference was to the 1949 incident when idols mysteriously appeared inside the Babri Masjid. The alleged chief architect of this initiative was Mahant Digvijay Nath of the Gorakhnath Muth, the same Muth whose current Mahant is the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath.
Singh continued, “Then, the locks were opened for Ram Lalla’s worship, not Khuda ki Ibadat. Whose government was in power at the Centre and State during that time? Congress. After that, the Shilanyas happened there, and the Shilanyas did not happen for a Masjid; it happened for the Temple. Under whose rule did that happen? Congress.”
The Liberhan Commission, formed by the Indian government ten days after the incident, investigated the destruction of the disputed structure. It claimed that Kalyan Singh maintained a “studied silence” during the crisis in December 1992 and “refused to allow even a single measure that might impede the Ayodhya campaign or prevent the assault on the disputed structures, the journalists, or the innocent people.”
Regarding the actions of the state government, the commission stated, “The very fact that the Chief Minister of the state of Uttar Pradesh, its ministers, and its mandarins supported the destruction with tacit, open, active, and material support at every step but did not make it part of the officially stated agenda lends overwhelming credence to the fact that they were aware of the gross illegality and impropriety they were guilty of. It would be reasonable to conclude that they were conscious of their acts and conduct ensuring the achievement of their concealed intent to demolish the disputed structure.”
The report continues, accusing, “Kalyan Singh, his ministers, and his handpicked bureaucrats deliberately orchestrated circumstances that inevitably led to the demolition of the disputed structure, exacerbating the divide between the two religious communities and triggering massacres nationwide. They stripped the state of all legal, moral, and statutory restraints, willfully facilitating rampant destruction and subsequent chaos.”
According to the report, “Chief Minister Kalyan Singh vigilantly guarded against any preemptive or preventive actions by the Central Government, the Supreme Court of India, other courts, or any other institution. He and his trusted aides resorted to falsehoods before the highest authorities of the land, deceiving them and constraining their actions within the bounds of constitutional democracy.”
In response to the Liberhan Commission’s findings, Kalyan Singh dismissed its contents during the mentioned NDTV interview. It’s worth noting that the report was submitted seventeen years after the incident, having received 48 extensions, on June 30, 2009, when the Home Minister was P. Chidambaram, who is now facing imprisonment for his alleged involvement in high-profile scams.
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