On 22nd January, the Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha took place in Ayodhya amid grand celebrations. Devotees from around the world lined up to visit the Bhavya Ram Mandir. While there is reverence in the hearts of the devotees from the temple, they have anger towards those who carried out a massacre in the holy city in the early 1990s.
During OpIndia’s investigation into the massacre of Kar Sevaks in 1990, the name of Munnan Khan emerged several times. The relatives of the martyrs accused Munnan Khan of being involved in the massacre. Meanwhile, during our ground reports, we came across several Kar Sevaks, who escaped death despite being attacked by bullets. They said that it was the goons of Munnan Khan and not the Police who fired on them.
While investigating all aspects of the Ram Janmboomi dispute, OpIndia’s team reached district Gonda. We went to the Maa Durga temple on Lucknow Road, close to the Commissioner’s residence. This temple is the centre of faith for devotees in the region. 68-year-old Ram Swaroop Das is the chief priest of the temple. He originally hails from Gonda itself. During his conversation with OpIndia, Ram Swaroop said that he was actively involved during Kar Seva in 1990 when Mulayam Yadav was the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh.
Ram Swaroop left his job to join Kar Seva
Speaking to OpIndia, Ram Swaroop said he was posted as a follower of the Police. He left his job to join Kar Seva. Many Kar Sevaks from different states came to his village in Gonda. He used to arrange food and shelter for Kar Sevaks and other villagers. Being a devotee of Bhagwan Ram from childhood, he served Kar Sevaks for months.
During that time, the then-chief minister of UP, Mulayam Singh Yadav, issued a challenge saying, “Not even a bird can fly in Ayodhya”. Ram Swaroop said he was irked by the warning given by the Yadav government. He formed a group of people from his village and surrounding areas to march towards Ayodhya for Kar Seva.
Evaded Police to reach Ayodhya
When Ram Swaroop left for Kar Seva, a group of devotees from Rajasthan joined his group. The villagers provided them with food and shelter. They took different routes from the village to Ayodhya. His group finally reached the Ayodhya border on 29th October 1990. They had to take a boat to cross the Saryu River to reach Guptaar Ghat without getting noticed by the Police
Ramswaroop said when he crossed the river and reached Guptaar Ghat, UP PAC personnel met them. They did not exhibit any misbehaviour towards the Kar Sevaks. In fact, they were respectful. He praised PAC personnel and said that had they used force on Kar Sevaks, they could have easily overturned the boat and drowned Kar Sevaks.
After crossing the river, Kar Sevaks met military personnel from the Dogra Regiment. The soldiers provided food to the Kar Sevaks and informed them about locations where they could safely spend the night.
The group of Kar Sevaks reached the disputed structure
Ram Swaroop’s group of Kar Sevaks rested on the night of 29th October, and proceeded towards Ram Janmbhoomi at around 4 AM. The disputed structure was only 5-6 KM from where they spent the night. At around 9 AM, they reached the disputed Babri structure while evading the Police.
Ram Swaroop said that by that time, several groups of Ram devotees had reached Ayodhya. They were holding saffron flags, and chants of “Jai Shri Ram” could be heard from all directions. Every Kar Sevak wanted to reach the disputed structure as soon as possible. They zealously crossed the first barricade set up by the Police, and did not have any fear of death.
Ram Swaroop said a Neem tree worked as a ladder for Ram devotees to reach the dome. Several people, including him, climbed up and reached the dome to hoist the saffron flag. At that moment, a warning came from behind: “Come down, or you will be shot”.
Ram Swaroop lost consciousness after getting shot
When no one paid heed to the warning, they were shot from behind. Several Ram Sevaks who came with Ram Swaroop were martyred. There was a stampede at the site. One of the bullets hit Ram Swaroop on the lower back, after which, he fell and lost consciousness. He said no one hesitated as hoisting the flag was not considered an offence. After falling, he did not remember what happened.
PAC recognised him before throwing him into the river
Ram Swaroop said the administration prepared to throw him in the river, though he was alive. He was thrown in a truck along with martyred Kar Sevaks. When the dead bodies were being thrown in Saryu, PAC personnel identified him as he used to work with them. The PAC personnel who recognised him called his associates. Ram Swaroop was breathing at that time. He was rushed to Shri Ram Hospital in Ayodhya, where he recovered.
The bullet was removed from his body at Dogra Military Hospital. Ram Swaroop has still not entirely recovered from the bullet injury. He has not been able to run since then. He said several Kar Sevaks, who were alive but unconscious, were thrown into the Saryu River. They were never found.
‘Munnan Khan’s goons fired bullets, not police’
Ram Swaroop said he was sure that the Police did not fire bullets at them, but Gonda’s gangster and then-MLA Munnan Khan’s goons dressed as Police fired bullets at them. He said Munnan Khan’s goons were stationed inside the Ram Janmabhoomi area. When Ram Swaroop recovered from the injury, he talked to his fellow Kar Sevaks about how Munnan Khan’s goons killed Ram devotees. Munnan Khan was a prominent name in the massacre that took place during Kar Seva. He was never prosecuted for his alleged involvement in the massacre.
