Protests remind Delhi of Dec 6

“We wanted to remind the government about a promise that they made seven years ago, about building the Ram Mandir at the Janambhoomi. However, they seem to have completely forgotten it,” said Jindal. The Shiv Sainiks also submitted a memorandum to Home Minister L.K. Advani, demanding that the government make all its plans about building the temple `public’. Members of the All India Babri Masjid Rebuilding Committee staged a demonstration opposite Parliament House demanding to know the date when central government would commence work on the reconstruction of the mosque.

Mohammad Yunus Siddiqui, president, AIBMRC said that if the government could not announce the date for the construction work, then they should refer all disputes on Ayodhya to the Supreme Court. He warned the government of a nation-wide agitation if they did not take some steps in this direction. The CPI(ML) observed the day as a `protest day against fundamentalism and fascism’ and the Rashtriya Mukti Morcha observed today as a `black day’ in protest.

The Peoples Movement for Secularism took out a rally from the Red Fort to the Town Hall this evening. The Citizens Committee for Secular Action also staged a dharna behind the Supreme Court. Among other important leaders from Jammu and Kashmir, those who participated included Yasin Malik of the All parties Hurriyat Conference, MP Prof Saif-u-ddin Soz and Sayeda Hameed from the National Commission of Women.

Apart from punishment for the guilty, they have demanded compensation for the riot victims and speedy report of the commission inquiring into the matter. The All India Muslim Personal Law Board, Babri Masjid Movement Coordination Committee and All India Babri Masjid Action Committee, while condemning the demolition, warned against “long term objectives and short term plans of the forces of Hindu chauvinism, fascism and fundamentalism which have gained strength and become active under the benign umbrella of the present government.” Expressing concern about the proposed talk to `re-enact the Ayodhya tragedy’ at Mathura and Varanasi, the speakers demanded government intervention and sought adequate protection for the structures at these places.

The Muslim Minority Communities Societies, along with the lone Janata Dal MLA from Delhi, Shoaib Iqbal, also staged a demonstration and submitted a memorandum to the President of India demanding action against Advani, Union HRD Minister Murli Manohar Joshi and Minister of State Uma Bharati.