The dust has barely settled on one Masjid-Mandir [MM] dispute, and another one ‘Gyanvapi Mosque- Kashi Vishwanath ‘ is hogging the nosy TV spaces and polarizing the discourse on social media. The Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, says that a mosque, temple, church or any place of public worship in existence on August 15 1947, will retain the same religious character that it had on that day – irrespective of its history – and cannot be changed by the courts or the government.

The latest on this is, according to the Live Law portal, is that Idol Lord Vishweshwara through next friend Rastogi has made an application under Order 1 Rule 10 CPC to become a party in the suit and has urged the Court to hear him on the maintainability aspect as well. The application submits that the ancient idol itself has not been made a party to the suit, which is the main deity and is a necessary party, in such a situation it is necessary to hear his side as well.

So what exactly is going on? Jesuit social activist and commentator Cedric Prakash SJ places his views below:

The latest conflict to hog national headlines is that of the  Gyanvapi mosque-Kashi Vishwanath in Varanasi, which is a long-drawn dispute and goes as far back as 1991.

According to reports, a  Shivling (shivalingam) was discovered within the disputed Gyanvapi  premise’s Wuzukhana (the place where ablutions are performed). Reports claim that the Shivling was discovered after the water inside a pond like well, which is used as Wuzukhana by Muslims, was pumped out of it.

After the Shivling was unearthed during the survey, on 16 May, a Civil Judge ordered the sealing of the disputed Gyanvapi structure. In its order, the court stated that the Shivling discovery is substantial evidence and asked the CRPF commandant to secure the premises and prevent Muslims from entering.

However, on 17 May, the Supreme Court, issued notice on pleas challenging the orders of the District Court regarding the Gyanvapi Mosque and passed an interim order that while the area within the mosque where an alleged ‘Shivling’ was said to be found should be protected, Muslims must not be restricted from entering and praying in the mosque.

The Committee of Management of Anjuman Intezamia Masjid has been contending this order arguing that the court’s directions are contrary to the provisions of the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, which specifically states that except for the Ram Janmabhoomi–Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, the nature of all places of worship shall be maintained as it was on 15 August 1947. The next hearing by the Apex Court is scheduled for 19 May.

[The Supreme Court on 19 May ordered that the case be transferred from the civil judge to a district judge. The court also extended the order that allowed Muslims to enter the mosque for prayers for eight weeks after the decision of the district court-editor]

In a detailed and well researched article in the well-known news portal scroll.in, (18 May 2022) Umang Poddar writes, “Rather than dismissing them under the Places of Worship Act, 1991, courts often allow petitions against mosques to fester, thus helping Hindutva politics.” This is a worrisome trend that is taking place particularly in the lower courts when small -time judges to ensure their place in the sun and for their career promotions – bend over to cater to the whims and fancies of their political masters, giving no importance to impartiality and the future of the country.

Already since the past couple of years Hindutva elements have been disrupting the communal harmony in and around the archaeological site of the 416 years old, Our Lady of Health Church in Sancoale, in Goa and tried to perform some religious rituals in front of the Church. They have some preposterous claims, that the Church was built on the ruins of a Laxmi Narasimha temple; this, like several other temples which were apparently razed to the ground and Churches were built, some five hundred years earlier need to be rebuilt.   

In Karnataka, Pramod Muthalik, the founder and chief of the right-wing organisation ‘Sri Ram Sene’ continues with his vicious attacks on the Muslims and Christians.  On 13 May addressing a gathering in Mysore he claimed that thousands of Hindus were being converted forcibly to Christianity stating, “Every day, thousands of Hindus are being converted into Christianity. The conversion is being done through deceit and force. The only way to deal this issue is by bringing a stringent law against conversion and by also demolishing illegal churches by bulldozing them” A few days earlier members of his organisation were detained for playing Hindu devotional songs using loudspeakers to demand a ban on the azaan.

Fascists are also goebbelsian in their modus operandi. “Tell a lie a thousand times and people will believe it is the truth” was the axiom of Joseph Goebbels, the Minister for Propaganda in Hitler’s Reich(regime) from 1933 to 1945. Goebbels, at that time controlled every means of communication: from radio to cinema, from publishing to oral communications. Exactly what is happening in India today with ‘godified’ media. It paid rich dividends for those in power – but with disastrous consequences for the ordinary people.

The bogey of ‘conversion’ is clear example of a goebbelsian strategy being effectively used today. Lies, half-truths and divisive politics by the ruling regime have made anti-conversion laws centre stage. The regime is proving to the world that they do not have the capacity or the competency to deal with serious problems affecting the country today: from an economy which is on a downward spiral to growing impoverishment of the masses, from rising unemployment to a pathetic ranking in the social sector.

The Karnataka Government recently took the ordinance route to give effect to the controversial and anti-Constitutional ‘Karnataka Right to Freedom of Religion Bill 2021.’ The law is violative of Article 25 of the Constitution. On 17 May, the Governor of the State, who is the Constitutional Authority meant to safeguard the rights of all citizens, abdicated his duty and gave assent to the ordinance proving that he is a mere puppet in the Hindutva agenda.

There is much more. This includes the communalization of education, to the deification of Savarkar and Godse; the prevention and the destruction of small enterprises belonging to members of the minority community in temple areas; the systematic campaign of what people eat and wear; the targeting of minorities when they worship – are all intricate pieces of a carefully planned agenda to rouse the sentiments of the majority community. The writing is on the wall!

The key question at this moment is: do the members from the majority community have the vision and the sagacity to deal with this ‘majoritarianism,’ stop it at this juncture and ensure a better and more harmonious future for all?

Dr Cedric Prakash SJ is a human rights, reconciliation and peace activist/writer.

[The above article has been edited for clarity. The Opinion Category reflects viewpoints of social thinkers, activists, and others on a variety of subjects. The responsibility for the views and opinions expressed in the piece above are entirely those of the author and are not necessarily endorsed by the editor and the management of Newsnet One.-Editor]

  Cedric Prakash, Gyanvapi Mosque, justice, naked truth, Supreme Court