Preparations are underway for the auspicious Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha in Ram Nagri, Ayodhya Dham, on 22nd January 2024, which is just a week away. Along with the festivities and rituals, the country is also paying homage to countless unsung Ram Bhakts who sacrificed their lives to reclaim the revered birthplace of Shri Ram in the five centuries-long drawn struggle.
During ground reporting in Ayodhya, the OpIndia team learned that the first massacre at the hands of the police in the Mulayam Singh regime took place 8 days before 30th October 1990. Evidently, on 22nd October 1990, the police, who had gone to raid based on information about Kar Sevaks being present, opened fire in a village in Basti district near Ayodhya. In this indiscriminate firing, three Ram Bhakts from the village lost their lives, while many others were injured.
Ram Chander Yadav was the first martyr in the massacre that took place on 22nd October 1990. The in-charge of the Duboulia police station received information about the presence of Kar Sevaks in the village of Sandpur. Their informant had informed the police that the Kar Sevaks gathered in the village were planning to march towards Ayodhya. The police surrounded the village. In an atmosphere filled with devotion to Ram Lalla, people from the village of Sandpur and surrounding areas gathered in protest against the police action targeting Ram Bhakts. During the protest, the police took orders from higher-ups and opened fire on the villagers.
We visited the home of the martyr Ram Chander Yadav to gather information about their current situation.
The victim Ram devotee Ram Chander was a minor
Ram Chander Yadav was originally from the village Barasana Tedhwa in the Basti district. This area falls under the jurisdiction of the Duboulia police station. The Sarayu River is located approximately 1 kilometer away, and its other bank touches the boundary of Ayodhya city.
When we reached Ram Chander’s house, his brother Ramnath Yadav was present there. Ramnath Yadav mentioned that Ram Chander Yadav was the third among five brothers. He told the OpIndia team that Ram Chander was around 16 years of age when he was fatally shot on 22nd October. The surviving brothers managed to overcome the sorrow in their own ways, engaging in various small jobs to sustain the family.
Thatched and Unplastered House
Ram Chander Yadav’s surviving family is living in a state of extreme poverty. Their house is divided into two parts. The first part is thatched, and the second part consists of a section of a Pucca house, which lacks both flooring and plaster. For agricultural activities, the family took a loan and acquired a tractor-trolley. Now, at nearly 60 years old, Ramnath Yadav shared that, in the sorrow of losing his son, his father Ram Narayan Yadav had lost his life, and a few days later, his mother also passed away.
According to Ramnath, his brother Ram Chander had just started helping them manage expenses for household activities when he became a victim of police bullets during the Mulayam government.
He was shot in the head
Ram Chander Yadav was a staunch devotee of Lord Ram and Mahadev Shiva. Ramnath Yadav became emotional while recalling the incidents that transpired on 22nd October 1990. He said that villagers had gathered near a field against the excesses of the policemen targeting Ram devotees. During this time, the police surrounded them, and without warning, opened fire on the villagers. In this indiscriminate firing, Ram Chander Yadav was hit and he fell into the fields. He wasn’t provided with any medical treatment. Due to being shot in the head, Ram Chander couldn’t survive for long, and in a short while, he breathed his last.
Raids were conducted to nab the remaining brothers
Ramnath Yadav told the OpIndia team that during the firing, it was chaotic, and it wasn’t clear who went where. After the police left, people started searching for their relatives and family members. Ram Chander didn’t return home. Family members learned about Ram Chander being shot in the firing. After some efforts, they found out that Ram Chander’s body was kept at Basti District Hospital. The family was about to leave to collect the body when the police team again raided the village.
During the raid, the police also tried to apprehend the remaining brothers of late Ram Chander. Fearing the police excesses, the remaining brothers of the victim also left the house and ran away. Consequently, only Ram Chander’s old father and mother were left in the house. According to Ramnath, there was such fear of the police at that time that the other young members of his Yadav-dominated village also left their homes and hid somewhere.
The dead body was not allowed to enter the village
Speaking with the OpIndia team, Ramnath recalled that 22nd October 1990 was the most difficult time for his family. He added that when the remaining brothers and well-wishers of the village fled away fearing a police raid, his old parents somehow had to go to Basti, about 50 kilometers away. At that time even vehicles were not running due to strict police security. Even Ramnath doesn’t know how his father Ram Narayan Yadav along with his wife reached the dead body of his brother.
When Ram Narayan Yadav reached Basti Hospital with his wife, he was told that his son’s body was lying in the postmortem house. When he reached there, Ram Narayan saw a heavy police force deployment. When his wife started crying after seeing her son’s dead body, the police stopped her.
Ram Narayan received clear orders that he could not take his son’s body to the village under any circumstances. The father of the deceased pleaded for cremation as per Hindu rituals but the then authorities did not budge.
Ultimately, the cremation of Ram Chander Yadav took place at the cremation ground on the banks of the river in the city, a short distance away from the Basti District Hospital. During this period, apart from the old parents, a heavy police force remained deployed. Ram Chander’s family returned to their village empty-handed at night. Due to the remaining sons absconding out of fear of the police, the other posthumous rites of Ram Chander also took a long time.
Couldn’t keep even a single picture
Other members of the family also have resolute faith in Sanatan Dharma. Ramnath Yadav mentioned that they are very happy with the construction of Lord Ram’s temple in Ayodhya. Unfortunately, according to Ramnath, they couldn’t save even a single picture of his brother. As per Ramnath, there was limited use of cameras and other facilities in 1990, and because of their poor economic condition, they couldn’t take photos, and towards the end, the entire family had to flee due to police actions.
Ramnath wishes that his brother Ram Chander should also be remembered during the construction of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. His family wishes that the government should build a memorial of Ram Chander Yadav in Ayodhya.
