All eyes are set on the holy city of Ayodhya as the Ram Lalla idol will be consecrated here on January 22, 2024, in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several distinguished guests. Families of thousands of karsevaks who gave their lives for Ram Mandir have also been invited. Among numerous such Rambhakt karsevaks was one Sanjay Kumar Singh.
On November 2, 1990, Sanjay Kumar Singh sacrificed his life in the massacre carried out by Mulayam Singh Yadav’s government. Sanjay Singh could not even be seen for the last time by the family. He was cremated on the banks of the same Saryu, on which he struggled for Lord Ram’s temple. His fellow karsevaks immersed his ashes in the sacred Saryu River, returning only with his memories.
Singh’s 35-year-old daughter who lives on Dahod Road in Banswara, Rajasthan, has been invited to Ram Lalla’s consecration ceremony. She is the daughter of the same Sanjay Singh who, along with five other Karsevaks sacrificed his life on November 2, 1990, during government-ordered firing on Karsevaks. Smriti lived with her father in Kanti Sain, or Muzaffarpur, Bihar. His father was the Bhartiya Janata Party’s divisional vice president.
According to a Bhaskar report, Sanjay Kumar Singh left his house quietly on October 30, 1990, leaving two daughters and his wife behind. He had left his two infant daughters, two-year-old Smriti and two-month-old Kriti, with his wife. The government was on high alert to ensure that no karsevak reached Ayodhya. In such a scenario, he travelled from Gonda to Ayodhya with other Karsevaks, traversing fields and barns.
In Ayodhya, he was joined by his friend Naresh Kumar. They both joined the karsevaks who arrived in Ayodhya under the leadership of Uma Bharti. Karsevaks marched in the direction of the Hanuman Garhi Temple. Meanwhile, Mulayam Singh Yadav government ordered firing on them. Bullets fired from behind their backs killed five Karsevaks.
Sanjay Kumar Singh was one of the five martyrs on that fateful day. Sanjay Kumar Singh’s mortal remains never reached his home. His last rites were performed on the banks of the river Saryu. His ashes were immersed in the holy river. The campaign for a Ram temple continued. On December 6, 1992, the Babri structure was demolished.
“During the Kar Seva, a bullet was fired on the orders of the then government and he died. After this, his family faced a lot of trouble, but now Ram Lalla consecration is happening there, they are happy with it,” said Arvind Singh, a friend of Sanjay Kumar Singh.
Sanjay Singh’s wife has also passed away. His elder daughter Smriti has been invited to Ram Lalla’s consecration ceremony. She intends to take part in this programme with her family. She says that if her younger sister had been invited, she would have come with her family as well. She said after getting the invitation, “Had my mother been alive on this auspicious occasion, the happiness would have been double. My father had gone to the holy land of Ayodhya with the dream of building a Ram temple. I have also received an invitation to attend the Pran Pratistha.”
In Sanjay Singh’s hometown of Kanti Sain, a trust has been established in his honour. A statue of Singh has also been installed in his village. A park is also being constructed. This park will also be dedicated to the public following the consecration of the Ram temple. “My friend’s sacrifice will not be in vain,” says Dr. Arvind Kumar Singh, President of the Sanjay Singh Memorial Trust. Arvind Singh has also served as a karsevak in the Ram Mandir movement alongside Sanjay Singh.
