D.B. Rai was the Senior Superintendent of Police in Ayodhya when the Babari Masjid was demolished. Rai was suspended and subsequently reinstated. He resigned from the IPS and joined BJP and was elected twice to the Lok Sabha.

When the mosque was being demolished I did not receive any orders from the PM or the CM to control the mob. The Prime Minister and the Chief Minister have no right to order a police officer on the duty to fire or not to fire. Law has left it to the conscience of the Police officer. There were lakhs of Karsevaks and thousands of the policemen ... Had I given the order to fire at the mob at that time, there would have been thousands of casualties. I fear that hundreds of Police personals might have also died on the spot. When lakhs of people are around, you can't ignore the fact that they may snatch the arms of police and fire back at them.

There were two IGs and five DIGs. They did not do any thing. Were they at the site to participate in Karseva? Why no action was taken against them. Why I was singled out for the act that I had not committed. (Source: The Indian Currents, 20-26 December, 1999)