By Mumtaz Alam Falahi, TwoCircles.net,
Deoband: Abdul Qayyum from neighboring Muzaffarnagar district has been pulling rickshaw in Deoband town of Saharanpur district since 1970s. He lost his son in the communal riots that erupted after Babri Masjid demolition in 1992. Let’s hear the views of the poor father on the Allahabad High Court verdict.
Ask him about the worst day of his life, Abdul Qayyum would say: “The worst day was when I lost my son. It happened in 1992 riots that erupted after the demolition of Babri Masjid. My son was killed in riot in Muzaffarnagar. I don’t know if he was killed by police or rioters, but he was killed by bullets, we got his dead body.”
The organized riots took place in various parts of the country soon after the Babri Masjid was demolished by Hindutva extremists on 6th December 1992 in Ayodhya. Hundreds of innocent people were killed. Qayyum’s son was one of them.
About 18 years after the demolition, the Allahabad High Court delivered verdict in the Babri Masjid title suit. One-third of the mosque space was given to Muslims and two-thirds to Hindus.
How did you take the verdict? “I didn’t feel good. How can it be good when building of a person is given to other after capturing it. Everyone knows there was a mosque. The mosque was demolished. It is also known to the world. The mosque must have been built where it once stood. And temple at some other place,” says grieved Qayyum who lost son first and hope for justice 18 years later.
Should Muslims accept the verdict, move to Supreme Court or talk to other parties of the case? “We should talk. It is clear that construction of the mosque at the original site will cause problems. We want peace. We remained peaceful after the verdict though we felt hurt at heart.”