‘Kar Sevaks’ of Ram Temple movement recall agitation

By Our Staff Reporter 
Mussoorie, 5 Aug: In the decade of the ‘90s, the Ram Janmabhoomi movement was launched in Mussoorie for the construction of the Ram Temple, many activists went to jail.
There is a wave of joy among the Ram devotees who agitated in the ‘90s for the construction of the Ram temple, after the laying of the foundation stone for the Ram Temple in Ayodhya by Prime Minister Narendra Modi today.
Devotees Dr Hari Mohan Goyal and Ashok Aggarwal recalled the torture by the police and administration. They said that their dream would be fulfilled after the construction of the Ram Temple. They would go to Ayodhya and take blessings of Ram.
Dr Harimohan Goyal and Ashok Aggarwal said that, in the month of October 1990, under the rule of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh, there was a wave of Ram Bhakti in the entire state. In the meanwhile, Ram Shila Puja was done, and thousands of people participated in the Shila Puja in Mussoorie. On 9 November, there was a call for Kar Seva in Ayodhya before Diwali. Mulayam Singh started arresting the activists much terror was spread. Even taking Ram’s name during a funeral was treated as a criminal offence. All the jails were filled with ‘kar sevaks’. Mulayam Singh converted schools and colleges into jails.
In Mussoorie, along with them, Khem Chand Goel, Ratan Lal, Hari Ram Nanda, Tribhuvan Mittal and Naeem Singh Yadav were also arrested by the police and sent to Dehradun Jail, then to Jail in New Tehri. After about 4 days, they were released on bail. Meanwhile, in Ayodhya, Mulayam Singh order to fire at ‘Kar Sevaks’ on 9 November led to hundreds of Ram devotees being killed. This, however, did not deter Mulayam Singh.
The Ram Jyoti Yatra was started in 1992 but the it was not allowed by the police and administration in Mussoorie. However, thousands of people reached Bata Ghat to welcome it to Mussoorie under the leadership of senior leader Radheshyam Tayal. On that day, the boundaries of political parties were broken and the whole of Hindu society joined together in the huge ‘Ram Jyoti’ Yatra.
Radheshyam Tayal, Amichand Mangla, Ratan Lal, Sharad Aggarwal, Dinesh Semwal , Rakesh Guddu, Neeraj, Jasbir, Vinod Sharma, Madan Mohan Sharma, Ashok Aggarwal, Khushal Singh Ranawat, Naam Singh Yadav, Naresh Anand, Vinod Sabharwal and his brother, including Anil Goyal were arrested by the police, but released on the same day seeing the anger among the people. Kalyan Singh was the Chief Minister in Uttar Pradesh in the year 1992, the ruined structure of Ayodhya which was on the birthplace of Bhagwan Ram was demolished, and the government was dismissed. The series of arrests started again. This time Radheshyam Tayal and Harimohan Goyal were arrested from the Mussoorie by the police, and sent to Dehradun, but they were released by the court.
Many of those who played an important role in the movement have departed from the world, but the construction of the temple had begun and nothing could be more gratifying. They expressed their gratitude to PM Narendra Modi and the government.