“Struggle Continues Against State Organised Communal Violence and State Terror!”, “An Attack on One Is an Attack on All!” These slogans inscribed on the main banner summed up the resolve of the people participating in a militant protest action at Parliament on December 6, 2022, on the 30th anniversary of the demolition of Babri Masjid.
Banners and placards mounted on the barricades around the protest site or held aloft by the participants carried slogans such as “Down with State Organized Communal Violence and State Terror!”, “Defend the Unity of Our People!”, “Punish the Guilty of 1984, 1992 and 2002”.
The protest rally was jointly organized by Lok Raj Sangathan (LRS), Communist Ghadar Party of India (CGPI), Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), Welfare Party of India (WPI), CPI (ML) – New Proletarian, Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR), Citizens for Democracy, Hind Naujawan Ekta Sabha, Jamat–e–Islami Hind, Lok Paksh, Mazdoor Ekta Committee, Purogami Mahila Sangathan, The Sikh Forum, Students Islamic Organisation of India, All India Muslim Majlis, New Democratic Party of India, Samajik Chetna Manch, Inquilabi Mazdoor Kendra, AIFTU (New), and Women India Movement.
The main banner carried the names of these political parties and peoples’ organisations who have come together, once again, as they have done over the past many years to continue the struggle for justice. These organisations have been waging a united struggle against state terrorism including state organised communal violence.
The meeting was addressed by S. Raghavan, President of LRS; Dr SQR Ilyas, President of WPI; Birju Nayak, spokesperson of the CGPI; Inam ur Rehman of Jamat–e–Islami Hind; Mohd. Shafi of SDPI; KK Singh of Lok Paksha; Dr Anwar Islam of Samajik Chetna Manch, Munna Prasad of Inquilabi Mazdoor Kendra and Saiful Islam from APCR.
S Raghavan, President of Lok Raj Sangathan, hailed the resolve of all the participating organisations to unitedly step up the struggle against state terrorism including state organised communal violence. He pointed out that the Congress-led Central Government and the BJP-led UP Government at that time were both guilty of having permitted the demolition of Babri Masjid. The Congress Party, BJP and Shiv Sena were all guilty of organising the communal killings in Mumbai in the aftermath of the demolition. But none of them have been punished, after so many years. All the organs of the Indian state, — the executive, the legislature and the judiciary – have worked in collusion, to cover up the monstrous crime committed against our people and to condone the criminals. He explained that people have no power to prevent such criminal communal political parties from using the state machinery to commit such ghastly crimes against our people. He called for broad unity around the aim of the empowerment of people. We need to establish a system in which people have the power to take decisions that affect the society and to hold our elected representatives to account. We need a system in which those responsible for the violation of human rights, including the right to conscience, are severely punished.
Inam ur Rehman of Jamat–e–Islami Hind said that the demolition of Babri Masjid also demolished the lie that Indian state is secular. Those responsible for organising it were never punished, instead they were rewarded with ministerial positions in the government. He denounced the state for dividing people on a communal basis and organizing communal genocide. He appealed to all present to speak up against injustice done to any section of the people, and to unite in a strong movement against state-organised communal violence and state terror.
Dr SQR Ilyas, President of Welfare Party of India, recalled the communally charged hate campaign that was carried out throughout the country to prepare the grounds for the demolition of the Babri Masjid. There was no justice served when the Supreme Court, though forced to admit that the demolition of Babri Masjid was an illegal act, failed to punish the criminals responsible for the act. State-organised communal violence and state terror is the biggest threat to our unity in our struggle against the common enemy, he emphasised, calling upon all to raise their voices against this.
Birju Nayak, spokesperson of the Communist Ghadar Party of India emphasised that the Indian state is communal. This can be seen from the fact that the two main political parties of the ruling class permitted the demolition, with the Congress Party sitting in power at the centre and the BJP in power in the state of UP. The highest court has passed the order to build a temple on the very same site as that of the demolished mosque. This completely exposes the ‘secularism’ of the Indian state. The Constitution of the country divides the people into ‘majority’ and ‘minority’ communities, on the basis of which the institutions of the state discriminate against one or the other sections of the people. He emphasised the fact that it is wrong to identify any one particular political party alone as the source of communalism and communal violence. The state and all its organs are the source of communalism and communal violence. He upheld the right of people targeted by the state to organise to defend themselves. He concluded by saying that the aim of our struggle must be to create a truly democratic state, where we, the people will have the power to take decisions that affect our lives and punish all those who violate our right to life, our right to conscience and our right to live with dignity and security.
Mohd. Shafi of SDPI pointed out that the demolition of Babri Masjid was an attack, not just against Muslims; it was an attack on all the people of our country, and our democratic rights. Our rulers cannot ensure food, shelter, education, healthcare, livelihood etc. for the majority of people; that is why they spread communal poison to divide the people.
KK Singh of Lok Paksh said that the struggle against communal violence and state terror is, at the same time, a struggle against the brutal rule of the capitalist class, headed by the big monopoly houses. The target of the communal violence is the entire working class and people. Communal violence will end only when workers become the rulers, he said.
Com Munna Prasad of Inquilabi Mazdoor Kendra said that our struggle must be directed against the Indian state which defends the interests of the big monopoly corporate houses and ruthlessly violates the most basic rights of our people. Only when we have a state of the workers and peasants can communal attacks on the people can be stopped.
The protest rally was held in extremely difficult conditions. The Delhi Police denied permission to hold the meeting at the last minute, even though the official notification of the program had been given to them weeks in advance. Hundreds of baton wielding police had been deployed to prevent the rally. When the participating organisations militantly insisted on going ahead with the protest rally, the police declared that the organisers could not set up a stage, or use a sound system. Even as every effort was made to thwart this protest rally against the demolition of the Babri Masjid, several other rallies and demonstrations were given full permission by the same authorities, to be held at the same place. It was clear that the orders to prevent people from protesting on the anniversary of the demolition of the Babri Masjid came from the highest authorities in the Union Home Ministry. Despite tremendous pressure to cancel the protest rally, the participating organisations boldly went ahead and organised a successful rally.
The attempt of the authorities to disrupt the protest rally on the 30th anniversary of the demolition of the Babri Masjid, once again clearly brings out the reality that the Indian state is the organiser of communal violence. Dividing people on communal lines and unleashing communal genocide is the preferred method of the ruling class, to smash the united opposition to its anti-people and anti-social agenda. The Indian state is desperate to ensure that the voice of people opposed to state organised communal violence and state terror is suppressed.
The protest rally reflected the conviction of Lok Raj Sangathan and all participating organisations that the people will resist the machinations of the state to smash their unity. All the participating organisations reaffirmed their determination to continue the struggle for an end to state-organised communal violence and state terror.