Karnataka | Arrest of Hindu activists in 1992 Babri Masjid case sparks rage

The arrest of two Hindu activists involved in rioting 31 years ago has led to tension in Karnataka, with Hindu groups accusing the Congress government in the state of acting deliberately ahead of the Ram temple opening in Ayodhya.

The ruling Congress party is certainly feeling embarrassed although the police in Hubballi, some 620 km from Bengaluru, picked up the three only after a rap from the judiciary.

Government clarifies

State Home Minister G Parameshwar said the court has ordered that old cases pending for a long time be cleared. “As part of this, a person has been arrested in connection with the Babri Masjid demolition case in Hubli. It is not appropriate to say that the case is to tackle Hindu activists," he said in a statement.

Police sources maintain two men have been arrested.

Hubballi was enveloped by communal violence even before the December 6, 1992 demolition by Hindu zealots of the Babri mosque in Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh, which itself triggered mayhem across the country.

A case was registered against 13 people after shops were set on fire in Hubballi city. Five persons were acquitted by a court while five others died during the trial.

In December 2023, two Hindu activists -- Raju Dharm Das and Srikanta Pujari – were taken into custody separately.

Police view

Hubli-Dharwad Police Commissioner Renuka Sukumar said the police have been working to resolving the pending cases for a long time.

“We have cracked 37 such cases in the last three months. Those arrested now were not caught by the police for 30 years. Now they have been traced and arrested,” the officer said.

What has worried the Karnataka government is that the arrests have taken place just before the widely-awaited inauguration of a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya on January 22, constructed at the very spot where the Babri Masjid stood from the 16th century.

Embarrassing arrests

A minister admitted to The Federal that the government was embarrassed, more so because of the timing. With the Ayodhya temple an emotive issue, the Congress did not want anything that could lead to needless negative developments in Congress-ruled Karnataka.

No wonder, even Congress president M Mallikarjun Kharge and leader Rahul Gandhi have reportedly sought an explanation from Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who took power after elections in May 2023. “The party high command has sought a clarification as the Congress is taking a cautious step on dealing with Ram Mandir inauguration,” a party source said.

"The police have to see the sensitivity of the case and inform the government or the Home Department before taking any step like this,” the minister who did not want to be named said.

"But the police in Hubli arrested the two men who were ‘karsevaks’ of the Ram temple movement in the 1990s. Now the BJP is trying to brand the Congress anti-Ram Mandir," the minister said.

Siddaramaiah's stance

Siddaramaiah has, however, justified the arrests. “What should be done to the wrongdoers? Should we just leave them alone? We have told the police to dispose of the old cases," he said. “The police have taken action as per the direction of the court."

Hindu outfits as well as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), however, insist that this is a premeditated step, meant to coincide with the Ayodhya temple inauguration.

Some Hindu activists have called for street protests against the government in Hubli, which has over the years become a communal tinderbox.

The last thing the Karnataka government wants is any buildup of communal feelings ahead of the coming Lok Sabha elections in which the Congress is desperate to outdo the BJP.