In this series, we travel back to the turbulent 1990s to see what impact the Ram Janmabhoomi movement had on south India. We found that Karnataka was as enthusiastic then as it is now about militant Hindutva. But the other states in the region weren’t entirely immune to the flames of hate.
A karsevak from Husnabad from Karimnagar district was reportedly the first person to climb the dome of the Babri Masjid on December 6, 1992, before it was torn down. Frenzied karsevaks from Husnabad in Karimnagar district, the native place of Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao, were specifically asked to lead the kar seva from the front by LK Advani, a report published by The Hindu on December 11 1992, said.
While southern states like Tamil Nadu and Kerala largely remained indifferent to the Ram Janmabhoomi cause, the contributions of activists from undivided Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka are significant. It is estimated that at least 1,033 people were killed in violent incidents across India following the demolition of Babri Masjid on December 6 1992. In undivided Andhra Pradesh 20 persons lost their lives.
In 1989, an amount of Rs 8.29 crore was collected for building Ram Temple by organisers of Ram Janmabhoomi movement. The contribution of undivided Andhra Pradesh towards the cause was Rs 50 lakh, says Valay Singh, author of Ayodhya: City of Faith, City of Discord.