Symposium on "The Demolition and Thereafter": Joint Statement, 7 December, 1998
To mark the 6th Anniversary of the Demolition of the Babari Masjid, the Babari Masjid Movement organised a Symposium on "The Demolition and Thereafter: What Next?" in New Delhi on 6 December, 1998. The Symposium was presided over by Shri Mohd. Shafi Qureshi, former Union Minister and former Governor of Bihar and MP. Among those who participated were Shri Chandrajit Yadav, President, Social Justice Movement, K. Veeramani, Gen. Secretary, DK, Prof. Saifuddin Soz, MP, Leader, J&K NC, Shri Nilopal Basu,MP, Leader CPI(M), Mr. Wasim Ahmed, ex-MP, Leader, Janata Dal, Mr. A.F.G. Osmani, MP, Leader UMF Assam, Mr. V.T. Rajshekhara, Editor, Dalit Voice, Mlna. Shafi Moonis, GS, AIMMM, Shri Subodh Kant Sahay, former MOS, Mlna. Md. Jafar, GS, JIH, Mlna. Ahmed Ali Qasmi, ex-GS., AIMMM, Mr. Anis Suhrawardy, Advocate and Shri S. Shahabuddin, Convener, BMMCC. The participants adopted a Joint Statement.
Text of the Statement:
"The Participants in the Symposium organised by the ALMPLB-BMC, the BMMCC and the AIMBAC to mark the 6 Anniversary of the Demolition of the Babari Masjid,
Regard the demolition of the Babari Masjid as a blot. on the fair face of the country and as a blow to the secular order and the rule of law, which form inalienable parts of the basic structure of the Constitution, to the supremacy of the Parliament, the dignity of the Judiciary and the credibility of the Executive and as an offence to the legitimate religious sentiments of the Muslim Indians, who form the second largest community in the country;
Take note of the mobilisation by the forces of Hindutva to re-enact the Ayodhya Tragedy at Mathura and Varanasi, by demolishing the Shahi Idgah and the Gyan' Vapi Masjids, situated there, despite their protection under the Act of 1991 relating to the protection of the religious status of all places of worship as on 15 August, 1947 and call upon the government and the people to defend these two places of worship against any onslaught;
Express their unhappiness at the unsatisfactory progress of the civil proceeding in the title suit pending before the Special Bench of the Allahabad High Court, Lucknow, the criminal case pending before the Special Court, Lucknow, and the inquiry undertaken by the Ayodhya Commission of Inquiry and demand day-to-day hearing as well as expeditious disposal by the High Court of petitions filed by those indicted to obstruct and delay the course of justice, and the Constitation of a Joint Parliamentary Committee to oversee the progress of the title suit, the criminal case and the inquiry;
Take note, with appreciation, of the exemplary restraint and patience shown by the Muslim community in not demanding the immediate demolition of the concrete platform constructed unlawfully in July 1992 and the dismantling of the make-shift temple illegally constructed on the Babari Masjid site and not insisting on the immediate construction of the Babari Masjid on the original site, in accordance with the law of the land, and request all secular political parties, individually and collectively, at least to assure them that if the final verdict on the question of title is in their favour, the Babari Masjid shall be rebuilt forthwith at its original site, whatever the political consequences.
Demand that like the Babari Masjid site, the security of the Masjids in Mathura and Varanasi be the undivided responsibility of the Central Government, and that all divisive campaigns - speeches, yatras and publications -which violate the national consensus embodied in the Act of 1991 be banned and all those who incite any section of the people to attack and take over the places of worship belonging to another be prosecuted; and
Thank the political parties, for the commemoration the 6th anniversary of the Demolition, thus warning the nation against the long-term objectives and short-term plans of the forces of Hindu Chauvinism, Fascism and Fundamentalism which have gained strength, become active under the benign umbrella of the Vajpayee Government and constitute a grave threat to the unity and integrity of the nation."