The Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust today invited kin of karsevaks (religious volunteers) who died in the police firing in 1990 for the 22 January Ram Temple inauguration in Ayodhya. Ordered by then-Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Mulayam Singh Yadav, the police firing claimed the lives of many karsevaks, disturbing the Hindu community across the country and turning the temple issue political.
Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) spokesman Sharad Sharma visited the houses of Ayodhya-based families of karsevaks Vasudev Gupta, Ramesh Pandey and Rajendra Dharkar who were killed in the 1990 firing.
Yesterday, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took veiled potshots at the then-Samajwadi Party government, saying, “Now there is no more firing in Ayodhya as people are now rejoicing and distributing sweets as Ram Temple is now becoming a reality.”
Sharma told the press, “I met Gayatri Pandey, Sandeep Gupta and Anita Dharkar, family members of karsevaks who gave the supreme sacrifice for the temple cause. Now, after several centuries of struggle, the Ram temple is set to become a reality, the kin of karsevaks should be there to witness the grand event.”
“This great struggle for the temple cause could never have been successful without the support of our karsevaks,” the VHP spokesman said.
Two days ago, the general secretary of the Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, Champat Rai, had said that the kin of those who died for the temple cause would surely be invited. “These families of karsevaks would be among the 8,000 invitees for the mega event in which representatives of 50 nations would participate. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, Governor Anandiben Patel and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will be among the top leaders at the event,” he said.
The previous limit for the crowd was set at 7,000. While lakhs of Hindus wish to visit the temple on the inaugural day, the trust has instead urged the community to exercise restraint and celebrate the occasion in their neighbourhood temples to avoid untoward incidents that a massive crowd in Ayodhya on 22 January might lead to.
