A controversial order directing all schools in Rajasthan to observe December 6, the day the Babri Masjid was demolished in 1992, as “Shaurya Diwas” was withdrawn by the state government on Sunday after sharp criticism from the opposition and Muslim groups.
The directive, circulated late Saturday night on an official WhatsApp group, was recalled the next morning citing “unavoidable circumstances.”
“Due to unavoidable circumstances, the order has been taken back,” the clarification read.
The withdrawn circular, addressed to all Divisional Joint Directors of School Education, had stated that Babri Demolition Day was to be observed as Shaurya Divas and instructed government and private schools to organise activities to “instill patriotism” among students and staff.
These included essay competitions on Indian cultural pride and the Ram Mandir movement, the tradition of valour and sacrifice, and youth participation in nation-building; painting contests on the Ayodhya Ram Temple and Indian warriors; and exhibitions related to the Ram Mandir.
However, Director of Secondary Education Sitaram Jat denied issuing any such directives.
“No such directions have been issued to the schools. I don’t know how it is being circulated,” he told PTI.
The People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), Rajasthan, rejected Jat’s denial, calling it “doubtful” and “an attempt to conceal the government’s suppressed intentions.”
“It is impossible and absurd that newspapers across the state would publish such news on behalf of the government without basis,” PUCL said in a statement.
The order had already triggered strong backlash from the Congress and Muslim organisations. Many users on X pointed out that the Supreme Court, in its November 2019 judgment, had described the demolition of the Babri Masjid as an “egregious violation of the rule of law.” Despite this, the BJP-led Rajasthan government had initially instructed schools to celebrate December 6 as Shaurya Diwas.
After the controversy escalated, school education minister Madan Dilawar attempted to downplay the issue, saying, “There are examinations and the children’s studies get disturbed, which is why it has been restricted.”
The government formally suspended the order on Sunday, less than 12 hours after it was circulated.
“This government wants to teach children that the day of the Babri Masjid’s demolition is a day of bravery. By doing so, they will only destroy the state’s communal harmony,” said Congress state president Govind Singh Dotasra.
Congress spokesperson Swarnim Chaturvedi called the demolition of the Babri Masjid “an act of crime” and accused the BJP government of “distorting historical events and attempting to burden schoolchildren with its political narrative.”
“Ours is a secular nation,” said Mohammed Nazimuddin, general secretary of the Rajasthan Muslim Forum. “How can the government compel students to commemorate the demolition of a mosque?” he asked.
33 years ago, thousands of Hindu nationalist men and women tore down Babri mosque, a 16th century mosque in Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya.
The mosque was reduced to rubble by Hindu nationalist mob who claimed that an ancient Ram temple stood at the same site.
The demolition of the medieval mosque, which was constructed under the rule of the first Mughal Emperor Babar, triggered anti-Muslim violence in parts of India that continued for months. More than 2,000 people were killed, in the worst anti-Muslim riots since India’s independence in 1947.
This came after Hindu nationalist group ran a campaign alleging that the 16th-century mosque, named after Mughal emperor Babur, was built on the location of Ram’s birthplace in Ayodhya.
The trial court of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) announced the verdict in the case involving 32 accused, including former Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishna Advani, 92, – a one-time mentor of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Five years ago, Supreme Court of India awarded the mosque site to Hindus, handing the BJP a victory to drive home its Hindu nationalist and anti-Muslim agenda.
In its ruling in November 2019, the top court ordered the entire mosque area of 2.77 acres to be allocated to Hindus for the construction of the temple though the top court did say the demolition of the mosque was a criminal act.
In 2020, Modi inaugurated the construction of the temple, which was one of the promises the BJP made when the party was founded in the 1980s. The party rose to national prominence on the back of the temple movement.
On 22 January 2024, Prime Minister Narendra Modi opened a Hindu temple built on the ruins of the historic Mughal-era mosque.’
Many believe the consecration of the temple, dedicated to Ram, embodied the triumph of Modi’s muscular Hindu nationalist politics and marked an unofficial start to his re-election campaign in general elections that happened later this year. Most opposition parties, including the Indian National Congress, declined the invite to the event, saying it did not benefit a secular India.
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