Having seen the dead bodies of ‘Ram Bhakts’ and ‘karsewaks’ during the Ram temple movement, Ayodhya’s Shaheed Gali now wears a ‘bhagwa’ look. Completely drenched in festivities of the Pran Pratishtha ceremony, people have put up saffron flags, banners and posters to give a festive look to the infamous lane.
News18 visited the Shaheed Gali and interacted with the people who not only shared the horrors of the Ayodhya firing incident, but also their plans to celebrate the ‘homecoming’ of lord Ram.
“Such a grand celebration of Pran Pratishtha will surely overcome the tragic past of the Shaheed Gali. Bhagwan Ram aa rahe hain, bhavya swagat karenge unka. (Lord Ram is coming, will greet him in a big way)," said a visibly excited Someshwar Pandey, who lives in the lane.
Shaheed Gali, the nondescript lane from Digamber Akhara to Ram Janmabhoomi via Hanumangadhi, earned the name after the UP Police’s firing on civilians on two days — October 30, 1990 and November 2, 1990 — in the aftermath of Ram Rath Yatra. “Prior to 1990 incident, it was like any other lane, but the firing incident made it the Shaheed lane," said Pandey.
WHAT HAPPENED IN 1990?
On October 30, 1990, on the call of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Shiv Sena, a majority of karsewaks reached Ayodhya. Officials with the district administration said against the deployment of some 28,000 Uttar Pradesh Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC), around 10,000 karsewaks reached Ayodhya. “The security forces were caught off guard as the karsewaks stormed into the heavily guarded site, following which the police opened fire resulting in the death of many karsewaks who were marching in the lane," said Santosh Dubey, a karsewak and an eyewitness to the incident.
On November 2, 1990, karsewaks again decided to reach the site. In retaliation, police opened fire for the second time within 72 hours, resulting in the death of many in the Shaheed lane.
“That 10-15 second confrontation is still clear in our memories. We had locked ourselves indoors. And suddenly we heard an outburst of gunshots that lasted for some 10-15 seconds, followed by a complete silence. That silence was killing," another local pointed out.
THE HEALING TOUCH
However, the locals said the Pran Pratishtha celebration is a much-needed healing touch. “The Pran Pratishtha celebration will help the locals overcome the tragic past," locals said.
People also shared their plans to celebrate the event. “It will be Diwali in true sense for us. We will light earthen lamps and burst firecrackers to celebrate the day," Saurabh Pandey, a local said.
The entire lane will be lit up as tribute to the Ram bhakts and karsewaks who lost their lives and laid the foundation for this day.
Comments
0 comment