Some social media users also called for boycott of the celebrities who attended the inauguration event of the temple in Ayodhya
Team Clarion
NEW DELHI – People on social media on Monday remembered the historical Babri mosque, which was demolished by Hindutva mob in 1992, on the day when Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a temple on the site where once the Mughal era mosque stood.
On social media platform X, the mosque today trended under the hashtags #BabriMasjid, #BabriZindaHai (Babri mosque is still alive) and #BlackDay. Under these hashtags, social media users remembered how the mosque was demolished on 6 December by posting pictures, videos, articles and their thoughts about the religious place.
Dr. Audrey Truschke, who is a professor of South Asian History in the United States, posted “Today, Jan 22, is a dark day for India, especially Muslims and Hindus, in distinct ways”. She also shared her article written for the global publication Times in which she described the construction of temple at Babri site as “a Huge Monument to Hindu Supremacy”.
“The Ayodhya temple’s inauguration portends dark times ahead not just for India’s Muslims but also many Hindus who remain committed to pluralism and tolerance,” she wrote.
Global journalist Rana Ayyub said “This day will not just mark the brute majoritarianism of those in power, but also the silence of those who were once the bulwarks against communalism”.
Prominent journalist Arfa Khanum said “As a survivor of communal riots of 1992, what’s happening around me is extremely disturbing, unsettling and unnerving. My generation is cursed to have witnessed 6 Dec, 1992 and 22 Jan, 2024, both in one lifetime”.
In another post, she said “The way we imagined India, knew India for many centuries, is dead now”.
Meanwhile, a video of an elderly Muslim man in Ayodhya has gone viral in which he is arguing with a reporter telling him that no temple was demolished to build the Babri mosque when he was asked about the temple being built nearby him. The man said that the verdict in favor of the temple was given under the pressure.
Mumbai-based Journalist Parth Mn said “I think it’s apt that a site of violence, a site that is known for one of the most unconstitutional incidents in India is a launching pad for Modi’s 2024 campaign. That’s exactly what the BJP stands for”.
In another post, he criticized the Supreme Court for the Ayodhya verdict. “This is the legacy of the Supreme Court. Five senior judges, including the current CJI, unanimously paved way for the Modi government to engage in this naked display of theocracy. Never forget. #AyodhyaRamMandir,” he said.
Some social media users also called for boycott of the celebrities who attended the inauguration event of the temple in Ayodhya.
“This is not reclamation of a civilization or awakening of a community. This is imposition of majoritarian supremacy, an official stamp of a Hindu Rashtra that officially reduces the country’s Muslim population to the grade of second class citizens,” posted an X user Saif Patel.
