HASHIM Ansari, who is in his 90s, not only bears witness to probably everything that has happened since 1949 with regards to the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, but has also suffered a lot for making it his cause to save the mosque: his house burnt thrice during 1949-1992, he was jailed for 19 months, and his right leg broken once by the police. “I have seen every shade of atrocities on Babri Masjid, and perhaps, it is my tryst with the Masjid that still carries me. May be I am alive to see the mosque being reconstructed,” said Ansari. Still party to many petitions regarding the Babri Masjid, which was demolished on December 6, 1992 by Hindu extremists, Hashim is the lone survivor in the Babri Masjid case, and is one of the main plaintiffs of the title-suit, pending since the night of Dec. 22-23, 1949, when the idols were smuggled inside the mosque. Since the cases pertaining to Babri Masjid, and particularly in context to the title-suit are nearing its end, Ansari assured that the reconstruction work for the mosque would start immediately in the event of a favorable judgment from the High Court. “If the order is passed in our favor, which we are very hopeful of as we believe in the rule of law and supremacy of our courts, then we would begin the reconstruction of the Babri Masjid. We will make it the most beautiful mosque of our country and show the world that India is a place where the law always prevails,” said Ansari. To honor him, Muslims under the leadership of the Indian National League (INL), organized a function in Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh, earlier this month. Several political leaders including state president Faheem Siddiqui, as well as many religious leaders, remembered Hashim's tireless campaign for the mosque. While felicitating him, the INL President, M. Suleiman, said, “His work and contribution for the cause of Babri Masjid are insurmountable.” Those who know Ayodhya by the Babri Mosque only may be surprised to know that there are about 120 mosques there, and has a Muslim population of about 8,000, according to rough statistics of the Ayodhya Municipal Board.
