Highlights of the Cobrapost investigation: TCN

Source: TCN

Some of the findings of the Cobrapost investigation are:

 The conspiracy was hatched at the level of two Hindu outfits, VHP and Shiv Sena, but not jointly.

 Both these outfits had trained their cader as part of an action plan, many months before it was implemented on December 6.

 A Balidani Jatha, or suicide squad, was formed with the trained RSS workers.

 Bajrang Dal, the youth wing of VHP, had its training in Surkhej of Gujarat, while Shiv Sena trained its cader in Bhind–Morena.

 The training regime included imparting skills such as climbing taller structures with help of grappling hooks and ropes and digging earth with implements like pickaxes and spades, apart from regular drills and physical exercises.

 Traditional implements such as chisels, heavy-duty hammers, pickaxes, spades, sabbals, and other tools were procured in large numbers and put to use on December 6, to pull the disputed structure down.

 A Sankalp, or an oath, was administered to the lakhs of karsevaks in the presence of all the frontline leaders of the movement like L. K. Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Ashok Singhal, Giriraj Kishore and Acharya Dharmendra, apart from the entire galaxy of Hindu sants. The Sankalp conducted from the Ram Katha Manch gave a call for the construction of a grand Ram Temple at the disputed site after removing the structure. The assault on Babri was begun as soon as the Sankalp was conducted by Mahant Ram Vilas Vedanti.

 VHP cobbled together a band of 1200 RSS workers secreted from their respective zones a few days before the demolition. This secret formation was given the name of Laxman Sena and Ramji Gupta was given charge of this army which was formed to dismantle the Babri. It’s clarion call was “Jai Sheshavtaar”.

 Shiv Sena, on the other hand, had a similar band of local workers at Ayodhya, called Pratap Sena, which provided all the logistics for the action plan.

 The RSS–VHP–Bajrang Dal combine held a secret meeting at Hindu Dham at Ayodhya a day before the demolition. Attended by Ashok Singhal, Vinay Katiyar, V. H. Dalmia, Moropant Pingle and Mahant Avaidyanath, it was decided in the meeting that the Babri masjid will be razed down.

 The RSS and BJP had held a secret meeting at Hanuman Bagh which was attended by H. V. Sheshadri from the RSS and all senior leaders of BJP present at Ayodhya, Vinay Katiyar, Uma Bharti and L. K. Advani.

 Shiv Sena had its secret parleys at North Avenue in Delhi in November 1992 which was attended by senior leaders such as Jai Bhagwan Goel, Moreshwar Save, Satish Pradhan, Anand Dhige and others in which a strategy was chalked out before making a move to Ayodhya. Both Balasaheb Thackeray and Raj Thackeray kept a close tab on all these activities.

 Shiv Sena had planned to use dynamite to bring down Babri if traditional methods failed.

 Apart from traditional tools, the Bihar team used petrol bombs to dismantle the structure.

 The local administration goaded and helped the frenzied mobs of karsevaks in removing the “headache” the Babri had become for them.

 Many antique artefacts were secreted from the Babri. For instance, two pieces of the stone engraving erected there by Mir Baqi in 1528 that fell apart are lying with Pawan Pandey who wants to sell them.