The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has decided to construct roads in the state in the names of countless Hindu devotees who were brutally killed in the November 1990 massacre, when the UP police under the then CM Mulayam Singh Yadav opened fire upon the Karsevaks who had gathered at Ayodhya to demand the construction of a Bhavya Ram Mandir at Janmabhoomi.
The Deputy CM of Uttar Pradesh, Keshav Maurya announced the same during his visit to Ayodhya on Tuesday. The minister, who visited the city to inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of around 996 projects worth about Rs 15 billion, said in his statement: ”Karsevaks had come to Ayodhya in 1990 and wanted the darshan of Ram Lalla. The then SP govt had fired bullets at the unarmed Lord Ram devotees. Many had died. Today, I announce that roads would be constructed in UP in the name of all such kar sevaks.”
Kar sevaks had come to Ayodhya in 1990 & wanted the ‘darshan’ of Ram Lalla. The then SP govt had fired bullets at the unarmed Lord Ram devotees. Many had died. Today, I announce that roads would be constructed in UP in the name of all such kar sevaks: UP Dy CM KP Maurya (07.07) pic.twitter.com/UQV864fyRs
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) July 8, 2021
According to reports, the Yogi government would be naming the roads “Balidani Ram Bhakt Marg”. These roads would lead towards the martyred karsevaks’ homes with their names and pictures displayed on the plaque.
As a tribute to those thousands of Hindu devotees and Karsevaks whose extreme sacrifices laid the foundation for the Hindu reclamation of the Janmabhoomi of Bhagwan Ram, the UP Deputy CM further said that Jai Hind Veer Path would be built to honour the soldiers and police officers who laid down their lives fighting external and internal enemies.
2nd November, 1990, Hindu massacre in Ayodhya
For the uninitiated, in November 1990, two years before the eventual demolition of the Babri Masjid, Mulayam Singh Yadav as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh had ordered firing upon the Karsevaks who had gathered at Ayodhya to demand the construction of a Bhavya Ram Mandir at Janmabhoomi.
It was on November 2, 1990, when a large group of Karsevaks, including the Kothari brothers, started to gather in front of Hunumangarhi, a stone’s throw away from the disputed structure that was eventually demolished later. The group led by Bajrang Dal’s Vinay Katiyar started moving ahead but were stopped by police.
All of them sat on the road in protest and started singing ‘bhajans’ (religious songs) when suddenly, the security personnel at the behest of the then CM Mulayam Singh, started firing at the crowd and chased Karsevaks across the area. Many people died from head wounds. There was a stampede at the Saryu Bridge, which further killed a number of people. According to eye-witnesses, the Kothari brothers mounted a saffron flag atop the Babri Masjid, but however, fell prey to the brutality meted out at the Karsevaks.
While official figures suggested that 16 Karsevaks were killed by UP Police under Mulayam Singh Yadav, the actual number is believed to have been much higher.
It was reported then that the police had disposed of many dead bodies, either by cremating them at unknown places or by dumping them into the Saryu River in sacks. A sting conducted by the Republic TV in 2019, claimed that the Karsevaks were denied proper Hindu funeral rites as many of them were buried instead of being cremated.
The news of the shootings was mostly suppressed by the Indian media then, however, the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh was given the sobriquet ‘Mulla’ Mulayam Singh for his pro-Muslim stance during the incident.
