Hundreds protest at Jama Masjid over Babri demolition, demand arrest of guilty

By IANS,

New Delhi : Hundreds of Muslim protesters gathered near the Jama Masjid Friday and burnt effigies of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders L.K. Advani and Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who were indicted by the Liberhan commission for razing of the Babri Masjid. They demanded the arrest of those responsible for the 1992 demolition.

The demonstration was held by Real Cause, an NGO, and came three days after the Liberhan Commission report was tabled in parliament.

The Liberhan Commission has pinned the blame for demolition of the 16th century Babri Masjid on Hindutva advocates and said in a scathing indictment that events leading up to Dec 6, 1992, were "neither spontaneous nor unplanned".

Kamran Siddiqui of Real Cause voiced anger over the government's "inaction to bring the culprits to book". He said the protesters in Jama Masjid burnt the effigies of Advani, Vajpayee, Uma Bharti and other Hindutva leaders.

They have also written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh requesting him to arrest those who "threatened national integrity by razing the mosque".

"We also demand a nationwide ban on the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh), VHP (Vishwa Hindu Parishad) and Bajrang Dal as these organisations are clearly involved in anti-national and anti-social activities, as the Liberhan Commission report has found them responsible for disrupting communal harmony in the country," Siddiqui told IANS.