Sanjay Kaw went to Ayodhya in 1992 disguised as a Hindu kar sevak. He broke bread with them, stayed in their tents, and witnessed minor demolitions first-hand in the days leading up to December 6, when thousands of kar sevaks brought down the Babri Masjid.
Believed by many Hindus to be built atop the ruins of the temple marking the birthplace of Lord Rama, the Babri Masjid was already a subject of legal dispute when it was demolished. While it was claimed that the mob went out of control on December 6, Kaw says there were signs that the demolition was not spontaneous as it’s often claimed to be.
Kaw was reporting undercover in Ayodhya for The Statesman newspaper. He disguised himself as ‘Sanjay Kaul’, a Kashmiri Pandit who had to leave his studies due to terrorism in Kashmir that also forced his family into exile. This undercover identity of Kaw was mentioned in a letter he secured from a Delhi-based Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader.
In an exclusive interview with Outlook, Kaw recalls the days he spent between kar sevaks in Ayodhya and reflects on the Babri Masjid demolition with the benefit of hindsight.
This story was originally published in outlookindia.com . Read the full story here
