Praveen Jain, one of the country’s finest news photographers was in Ayodhya and captured rehearsals for the demolition of Babri Masjid in 1992 on the eve of the event. He was working with The Pioneer when the event took place.
Jain is a witness in the Babri Masjid demolition case. He testified on June 21-22 as the hearings of the case are being held in Lucknow currently.
On December 8, 1992, The Pioneer carried a report on the events that occurred on December 6, 1992, as revealed by their photographer, who was an eyewitness. We reproduce the column and some of his photographs.
If you think the demolition of the Babri Masjid was a spontaneous one, then hear this account by Jain:
“On Saturday afternoon, a BJP Member of Parliament forewarned me of the events to follow on Sunday.
He smiled as he directed me to the spot where the kar sevaks were rehearsing how to bring down the 465-year-old structure. The kar sevaks, with ropes and rods had roped a rock pile and were tugging at it from different directions. As events turned out later, this was the very manner in which the three domes of the mosque were brought down the next day.
Near the mosque, a concrete dais had been erected. Hordes of kar sevaks from several directions were periodically racing towards the dais. This was the run-up to Sunday afternoon.
December 6:
Early on Sunday, we made our way to the spot where the BJP-VHP combine was expected to carry out the ‘symbolic’ kar seva. All photographers, journalists, and cameramen were directed to a dharmashala (Manak Bhawan). The terrace had been cleared for us. Then the Bajrang Dal activists scampered onto the terrace. Their numbers increased till we were outnumbered. Sensing trouble, I slipped away.
It was a sensible move, I realised later. The journalists and camera crew who stayed back were pulled and jostled around, their movie cameras were snatched away and flung down from the terrace, five floors above the ground.
On the ground, there were thousands of people milling around. They were all chanting ‘Jai Siya Ram’. They converged on me. Even though I was caught unaware, I managed to get away from the spot. Someone in the mob snatched at my open bag. Later, I realised that the kar sevak had made off with Rs. 2,500.
Even as the crowd chased me, its attention was caught by another hapless photographer who was literally shooting from the hip as he ran. The mob set upon him giving me a fleeting opportunity to move inwards the dais where the BJP-VHP leaders were seated. On the way, I met two other photographers- Nitin Rai and Pablo Bartholomeo. On the spur of the moment, we decided there might be safety in numbers and were glued together by fear.
By then the hordes had swarmed up the domes and they fell upon it with trishuls and whatever else they had in their hands.
It would have been unthinkable not to get this on film, even if this was the last thing we did. Out came our cameras and we got clicking. This focused attention on us. Kar sevaks armed with trishuls and daggers chased us. I was luckier than the other two who were nabbed, stabbed and beaten.
Later that night journalists who managed to get away from the site told us the mosque had been turned to rubble.
December 7:
Early in the day, sporting a saffron bandana printed entirely with the word Ram and wearing saffron sweaters and carrying only a minimum of photo equipment in our pockets we made our way stealthily to the complex.
Kar sevaks were cleaning the rubble to make way for some sort of a structure. To take pictures from so near would have been suicidal. Through a small window of a house in the vicinity, I squeezed the shutter six times.
I breathed freely. Not outside the house. Not in Faizabad-12 kilometres away. Not on the flight back. But at the office when the prints came out fine.
They were the pictures of Hindus giving Hinduism a bad name. I am ashamed.”