New Delhi, June 30 (IANS) A long-delayed report on the Babri Masjid demolition put the issue back in public consciousness with the Liberhan Commission, that was formed 17 years ago, submitting its finding to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Tuesday.
The report’s submission prompted the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to declare its commitment to building a Ram temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya, an issue that had polarised India and led to a chain of political events and hundreds of deaths in communal riots.

It took the commission, headed by retired Andhra Pradesh High Court chief justice M.S. Liberhan, 17 years and 48 extensions to complete its findings into the events of Dec 6, 1992 that triggered widespread violence, the ripples of which are still being felt.

Home Minister P. Chidambaram was also present when Justice Liberhan presented his commission of inquiry report “set up in connection with the Ram Janambhoomi - Babri Masjid incident”, said a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

The report in four volume with an extensive set of annexures will now be further processed by the home ministry before it is made public.

Liberhan, who had been under attack for taking so long to complete his investigation, told a TV channel: “I didn’t have any pressure from anybody. We are relieved and independent today.”

The 16th century mosque was demolished by radical Hindu groups that believed it was built on the birthplace of the Hindu god Ram. At the time, Bharatiya Janata Party’s Kalyan Singh was chief minister of Uttar Pradesh and Congress’ P.V. Narasimha Rao was prime minister.

The panel, set up 10 days after the demolition and the longest running inquiry commissions, was mandated to investigate what led to the demolition and was to submit its report by March 16, 1993.

Amongst those questioned by Liberhan were senior leaders L.K. Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Vinay Katiyar, Kalyan Singh as well as then BJP member and now Bharatiya Janshakti (BJS) chief Uma Bharati.

The BJP immediately reaffirmed its commitment to a Ram temple on the site.

“There must be a constructive solution to the whole issue as Hindus across the globe want a grand temple to be constructed at the disputed site. The BJP also wishes that a temple is constructed there,” BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters here.

According to party insiders, several BJP leaders, including Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley, met at Advani’s residence to discuss the possible fallout of the report.

Former Advani loyalist Uma Bharati, one of the accused in the case, stepped up the temple rhetoric when she told reporters in Bhopal that she was ready to be hanged if found guilty. “I wanted the old structure to be destroyed but not in that way.”

The submission of the report also set off political tensions.

Naming Advani, Joshi, Katiyar and Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Ashok Singhal, Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh said: “They were all present at the time of the demolition. They were all rejoicing and shouted slogans ‘Ek Dhakka Aur Do’. The BJP has been the champion of doublespeak.”

Criticising the Congress for blaming senior party leaders for the demolition, BJP’s Prasad said: “The report has not been made public yet and the Congress reaction on it is utterly rubbish. We condemn it completely. Even before the report is placed in parliament, the Congress has begun conspiracy.”

The others, both the Hindu ideologue Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the chief cleric of the Jama Masjid, as well as the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), pressed for the disclosure of the contents.

“Without knowing the contents, I cannot say anything,” said CPI-M central secretariat member Mohammad Salim told IANS.

“We would like to see the content of the report and then only we can comment.The government is duty bound to submit the report in the parliament,” said RSS spokesperson Ram Madhav.

Jama Masjid head cleric Syed Ahmed Bukhari said only after seeing the contents of the report would it be known “whether the commission has held the real culprits responsible for the demolition or not”.

“The Liberhan Commission was formed on Dec 16, 1992 but it took 17 years to submit the report; this is befooling Muslims and a perfect example that justice delayed means justice denied,” Bukhari told IANS.

The Babri Masjid Action Committee (BMAC) also demanded that the report be tabled in parliament.

“I appeal to the government to table the report in the parliament and take concrete action within three months,” said Zafaryab Jilani, convener of the Babri Masjid Action Committee.