Bhaye prakat kripala Deen Dayala

The next report of the Waqf Inspector Mr. Mohammad Ibrahim, dated 23rd December, 1949, is a tell tale document. It states that when he went to Ayodhya on 22nd December, 1949 for inquiring into the state of affairs relating to the Masjid Babari and the Qabristan, he found that Baba Raghu Das had visited Ayodhya some three months ago to see the Janmasthan, and had spoken to the Bairagis and the Pujaris, forcefully asking them to organise Ramayana-Patha at Janmasthan. That message spread and a month later thousands of Hindus collected there for Ramayana Patha which went on for many weeks. In the meanwhile the Bairagis dug up and levelled most of the Qabristan in front and to the South of the 'mosque', and erected flag-posts and placed stones in place of the graves, inspite of the Police being posted there during the Patha. This is followed by some details of the cleaning done by the Bairagis of some particular graves and the putting up of a Chappar, a thatched shed, by a Bairagi near the well, and the occupation of the place by him, as also the clearing up of the sehan darwaza of the 'mosque' of a pucca grave, and occupation of that area by the Bairagis. It also recites breaking up of the Ghara and Lota, beating up of the Muazzin, and the digging up of the Qutba of the 'mosque', as also the beating up of two Muslims who had come from outside. It adds that the Masjid was locked at all times, that Is, except on Fridays, when the lock was opened for two to three hours, and it was cleaned and Friday prayers said. It also says in the same breath that no Azan, that is, the call for prayers was given and no prayers were said at any time, and although the key of the lock was with the Muslims, the Police did not allow them to open the lock. Even as to the alleged Friday prayers, the report significantly says that a great din was caused by the Hindus during the prayer time, to disturb them, and shoes and stones were hurled from adjacent houses on the Namazies when they came down the stairs, and the Muslims were too terrified to protest. Further, according to the report, when Mr. Lohia visited Ayodhya the Bairagis told him that the place was Janma Bhumi, and when a Minister visited the place and asked them not to indulge in excesses, they got enraged, and he had to return under Police protection. The report says that during the period several Mahants and Hindu saints asked the Muslims to restore the place to them if they want to live like brothers, otherwise they would be treated as enemies. Lastly the Waqf Inspector describes the 'forcible occupation' of the 'mosque' by the Bairagis on the morning of 23rd December, 1949, in face of adequate arrangement, and his escape to Gonda after crossing the Saryu.

A F.I.R. of the incident was recorded in the Police Station Ayodhya on 23rd December 1949. It runs thus:

According to the oral information given by Constable Mata Prasad when he reached Janma Bhumi at about 7 A.M. that day he came to know that a crowd of about 50-60 men had by breaking open the locks which existed on the compound of 'Babari Masjid' and also by jumping over the wall with a stair case entered inside the mosque and installed the Idol of Sri Bhagwan therein, and written Sita Ramji etcetera with red ochre and yellow paint. Constable Hansraj on duty asked them not to do so but they did not heed him. The P.A.C. guard present there was called for help but by that time people had entered inside the mosque. Other local officers came to the place and made arrangements. Afterwards the crowd swelled to 5-6 thousand and shouting religious slogans and chanting the name of LORD (KIRTAN) surged forward to go inside but nothing untoward happened due to adequate arrangement. He named Abhayram Das, Rama Shukla Das and Shivacharan Das and Ramsukal Das among the crowd of 50-60 persons who had desecrated the mosque by installing the Idol therein after forcing entry thereinto. The officials on duty and many others had seen the incident.

It is significant that no Muslim came forward to lodge the F.I.R. or to complain of any dispossession or obstruction in his alleged use of the mosque. On the other hand in the proceedings under section 145 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898, which were also drawn up by the City Magistrate suo-moto on 29th December, 1949, between the Hindus and Muslims of Ayodhya without naming any individual as a party, more than 12 Muslims filed affidavits before him to the effect that the building was constructed by demolishing Rama Janma Bhumi Temple, that the Hindus never gave up their possession over the place and had continued to worship their Idols regularly therein, that during the British Rule the Muslims could say Namaz on Fridays only, but after the Hindu Muslim riot of 1934 the entry of Muslims was stopped altogether and the Hindus had taken possession of the main part of the building also which has continued in their possession ever since; and lastly that they had no objection to its continuance in the possession of the Hindus because the saying of Namaz there was against the Shariat.

A statement made by a Muslim Havaldar, Abdul Barkat, who was on duty at Sri Rama Janma Bhumi during the night between 22nd and 23rd December 1949, recorded by the then District Magistrate of Faizabad is interesting. A rationalist may disdainfully brush it aside as a figment of imagination, but miracles do from part of the lore of almost all the established religions throughout the world. A concise translation of Abdul Barkat's statement reads:

He was on duty at the Police Outpost Rama Janma Bhumi on the night between December 22nd and 23rd, 1949. While on duty that night, he saw a flash of Divine Light inside the 'Babari Masjid'. Gradually that light became golden and in that he saw the figure of a very beautiful Godlike child of four or five years the like of which he had never before seen in his life. The sight sent him into a trance, and when he recovered his senses he found that the lock on the main gate was lying broken open and an innumerable crowd of Hindus had entered the building and were performing the Arti of the Idol placed on a Singhasan and reciting: Bhaye prakat kripala Deen Dayala.

On hearing this statement, a Vaishnava remarked: Bhagwan Sri Rama Lala appears to have showered His Grace on Abdul Barkat for his keeping guard at the place where he had Manifested Himself in human form, by giving him His Darshan while manifesting Himself again in the Idol installed that morning under the central dome of the building.

It is indisputable that the Muslims were completely ousted from the place that eventful day in the early hours of the morning of 23rd December, 1949. That was Paush Shukla Tritiya, Samvat 2006 and has been celebrated every year thereafter as Prakatya Diwas at Sri Rama Janma Bhumi, Ayodhya.

Proceedings under section 145 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898, were drawn up suo-moto by the City Magistrate, "between the Hindus and Muslims of Ayodhya", without naming any individual as a party, vide- preliminary order dated 29th December, 1949, whereby the building "claimed variously as Babri Masjid and Janma Bhumi Mandir" was also attached and Shri Priya Dutta Ram was appointed Receiver to arrange for the care of the property in dispute. He assumed charge on 5th January, 1950, and submitted to the District Magistrate a scheme of arrangements necessary for the upkeep of the worship of the Idol installed within the building and put it into practice. The Receiver thus took over and assumed charge of the duties of the Shebait of Bhagawan Sri Ram Lala Virajman under the central dome of the building at Sri Ram Janma Bhumi.