NEW DELHI: An Indian judge charged a minister in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government and senior leaders from his party with criminal conspiracy on Tuesday in connection with the 1992 destruction of Babri Masjid by a Hindu mob.
The demolition of the mosque in the town of Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh unleashed some of the deadliest religious riots across the country since independence in 1947, killing about 2,000 people. Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti and stalwarts of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party led by LK Advani and M M Joshi appeared in court in the city of Lucknow to hear the charges. All three deny any role in the razing of the mosque.
The trial of senior BJP leaders will raise fresh questions about Hindu nationalism within Modi’s party at a time when critics accuse his supporters of trying to marginalise minority groups and redefine India as a Hindu nation.
“The judge accepted our plea to charge the leaders with criminal conspiracy and the accused are already facing trial for making provocative speeches that incited Hindus to pull down the Babri mosque,” said MR Shamshad, a lawyer representing Muslim leaders and victims of the violence.
Bharti, entering the courtroom on Tuesday amid a crowd of reporters, rejected the charges. “I don’t consider myself a criminal,” she said.
Lawyers representing Joshi and Advani did not respond to requests for comment.
