There was not even the slightest hint of tension at the Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya on the eve of the 20th anniversary of the demolition of the disputed structure with the local population going about their daily tasks as usual.
Braving the morning chill, people could be seen enjoying piping hot tea at the roadside stalls and young girls were busy selling flowers in the narrow lanes to the visiting devotees and tourists. The temples also witnessed a steady stream of devotees.
The disputed structure was razed to the ground by frenzied karsevaks of the BJP-VHP-Bajrang Dal combine on December 6 , 1992 and the subsequent communal riots that broke out in several parts of the country not only ruptured the fragile fabric of the amity between the Hindus and the Muslims, but also deepened the divide between the two communities.
Since then, the VHP-Bajrang Dal combine has been celebrating December 6 as “shaurya diwas”(day of valour), while the Muslim outfits led by the Babri Masjid Action Committee observe a black day.
According to the right-wing Hindu outfits, December 6 is being observed as Shaurya Diwas since they claim that they had erased a blot on the Hindu community left behind by the Mughals who demolished the Ram Temple to build the Babri Masjid.
The Muslim outfits, on their part, observe it as ‘black day’ to recall the demolition carried out by the Hindu zealots. And it has become a regular practice ever since for the rival groups from the two communities to give vent to their feelings by plastering the town with ‘saffron flags’ and with the ‘black flags’ respectively on December 6.
However, the intervening two decades has spawned a new generation among both the Hindus and Muslims. And the ‘Gen Next’ has resolutely refused to be swayed by the happenings of the past, at least in Ayodhya and on the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute.
This time round there are neither saffron flags hoisted atop the buildings of the Hindus nor are there the black flags on Muslim establishments to remind one of the scars of 1992. If there is anything that reminds a visitor of the savage incidents on that fateful day, it is the deployment of a heavy posse of police, the metal detectors and the RAF personnel(Rapid Action Force) brandishing their rifles and LMGs .
“There are more than 8,000 Muslim students in my college and the rest are Hindus. And frequently I interact with them also. I have come to the conclusion that the younger generation is mostly concerned about their future career and their livelihood. They want to stay away from the religious bigotry,” said V N Arora, principal of Faizabad’s Saket Degree College.