25 years of Babri demolition: Dispute of controversies and conflicts

On this day, in 1992, the cadres of the right-wing Hindu groups like VHP, who called themselves 'kar sevaks', armed with weapons like swords and axe brought down the Mughal-era mosque – Babri Masjid – in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh. (Photos: PTI/AFP)

The VHP and the BJP had organised a rally at the site and as many as 1,50,000 volunteers or ‘kar sevaks’ had were in attendance. The rally turned violent and the ‘kar sevaks’ demolished the Babri Masjid. (Photo: PTI)

On the site stood a Ram temple, which was demolished in 1528, and that it at this place where Lord Ram was born, they had claimed. (Photo: PTI)

It was in 1853 when first incident of violence was reported at the site. In 1859, the British administration erected a fence to separate the places of worship of Hindus and Muslims. (Photo: PTI)

In 1949, idols of Lord Ram were placed under the central dome of the mosque allegedly by Hindus. Following protests by the Muslim community, both Hindus and Muslims filed civil suits. (Photo: AFP)

In the following years, the BJP, under the leadership of LK Advani, and VHP intensified their campaign for the construction of Ram temple on the disputed site. VHP volunteers even partially damaged the mosque in 1990. (Photo: AFP)

A year after BJP comes to power in Uttar Pradesh, the mosque is demolished by thousands of ‘kar sevaks’, triggering riots in various parts of the country. More than 2,000 people were killed in the attack. (Photo: PTI)

The Allahabad High Court in 2010 ruled that the 2.77-acre disputed site be divided equally among Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and the Lord Ram Lalla. However, the Supreme Court stayed the order in 2011. (Photo: PTI)

In a major development in the case of the demolition, the Supreme Court in 2017 ruled that Advani and Uma Bharti, Murli Manohar Joshi and others allegedly responsible for the incident will be tried for criminal conspiracy. A Lucknow court will hear the Babri Masjid demolition case on day-to-day basis, SC ruled. (Photo: AP)

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has said it will start the final hearings in Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title case from February 8, 2018. (Photo: PTI)