Former BJP MP owns up Babri demolition

Former BJP MP, Dr Ram Vilas Vedanti, stoked the Ayodhya fire further on Friday when he owned responsibility for the demolition of the Babri mosque in December 1992.

Meanwhile, about 50 Muslim ‘kar sevaks’, belonging to the Sri Ram Nirman Muslim Kar Sevak Sangh, also created a flutter when they reached Ayodhya with a truck full of bricks. The truck has been stopped at Naya Ghat, said circle officer Arvind Pandey.

The Muslim ‘kar sevaks’ said that they had brought the bricks for the construction of the temple. Majority of the ‘kar sevaks’ came from Gorakhpur, Basti and Maharajganj districts.

Dr Vedanti told a news channel that that it was on his instructions that the ‘kar sevaks’ had demolished the mosque structure.

“Mahant Avaidynath and Ashok Singhal (both deceased) were with me when we got the structure demolished. L.K. Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi were trying to bring the volunteers under control,” he said.

He further said that he was ready ‘to be hanged’ for what he had done but he had no regrets.

Mahant Avaidyanth was also a former BJP MP and is now the spiritual guru of UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

Mr Ashok Singhal, was one of the pioneers of the temple movement and the president of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP).

Dr Vedanti is among the accused in the Babri demolition case and his admission to the demolition is expected to add heat to the controversy once again.

The Muslim kar sevaks were keen to visit temples including the Ram Janambhoomi temple but the district administration prevented them from entering the disputed territory.

The Muslim group said that they wanted to offer prayers at the makeshift temple but the officials said that the temple had closed for public darshan.