Asansol (West Bengal): On October 30, 1990, the Mulayam Singh government took serious action against the Kar Sevaks' march. As many as 16 Kar Sevaks lost lives in the firing incident that ensued. Recently, former CM Mulayam Singh also regretted the incident.
On that dreadful day, Abhay Kumar Barnowal, a resident of Asansol, received bullet but survived. Twenty-one-year-old Abhay Barnwal walked 350 kilometers to reach Ayodhya after clearing various hurdles to join the Ram Janmabhoomi agitation. Now, he has received a special invitation for the inauguration of the Ram temple on January 22.
Abhay Kumar Barnowal shared with ETV Bharat the horrors of that day. He is an electronics dealer who lives with wife Sushma and all three of their children are IITians. He was shot in the leg in the 1990 frining on Kar Sevaks. Getting to Ayodhya was not so easy for Barnowal. "On October 21 we left Asansol. On October 22 we reached Varanasi. Mulayam Singh had informed that at that time he won't allow anyone to enter Ayodhya," he said.
Barnowal said that as he got down at Varanasi station, he saw cops deployed all around but he somehow sneaked out of Varanasi station through the back gate. Then he took a bath at Dashashwamedh Ghat there and then undertook a journey on foot to Ayodhya. He said that the entire Uttar Pradesh was like a fortress and they had to avoid the villages and towns and reach Ayodhya by taking paths through the forests to avoid the cops.
"Walking on feet was so difficult. But I was determined to reach Ayodhya," said Barnowal. He reached Ayodhya on October 28 and, along with some others, he hid himself in a sugarcane field in Swayambar Nagar. On October 30, when they entered Ayodhya, there was heavy police picketing everywhere. "At first, it was almost deserted but suddenly we saw thousands of Kar Sevaks coming to Ayodhya from all corners," he said.
"At that time a saint took a bus and told us all those who want to go to the Ram temple site, to board the bus. We all squeezed in. I squeezed on the roof of the bus. The bus broke the barricade and entered straight in front of the temple. I climbed on the dome and put the Dhwaj. After getting down, I saw gunfire all around us. Many people were shot in front of me and one bullet hit my leg too. Then I got unconscious and remained so for about 72 hours. I regained consciousness and found myself in the hospital," Barnowal said.
He said that today is a very proud day not only for him but for all the people who believe in traditional Indian religion. "I feel good that I have received a special invitation to Ayodhya. The invitation letter has been delivered to my home. I will go there on that day and witness the historic day with pride," he said.
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