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Police, state authorities and political leaders were unable to prevent the frenzied mob running into thousands from storming the mosque in Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh on December 6, 1992, Dalmia said.
He was deposing in Delhi before the Liberhan Commission, which is probing the events leading up to the mosque demolition that sparked bloody communal riots in parts of the country.
After futile attempts to calm down the mob, everyone present at the site - including politicians, authorities and Hindu leaders - 'reconciled themselves to the inevitable (demolition of the mosque)', he claimed.
"The police could have controlled the situation only by opening fire, but they were helpless as the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh had assured the Supreme Court that short of firing he would do everything," Dalmia said.
The police did use batons, he said. "But they had perhaps been instructed not to open fire," he added.
Asked how much time was taken to demolish the structure, Dalmia replied: "Several hours."
When the commission's counsel Anupam Gupta insisted on a more specific estimate, he retorted: "If you think it was done in a planned manner, it could have been done much earlier. If you go in a haphazard manner, it naturally takes time."
On whether senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader L K Advani addressed the crowd on that day from the roof of a building from where political leaders were observing the mob, Dalmia said he did not remember.
"But obviously, with other leaders, he tried to use his influence to stop the men," he claimed.
"The effort to pacify the agitated kar sevaks (voluntary workers) must have gone on for an hour or so. But when we found it had no effect we reconciled ourselves to the inevitable."
Dalmia said when appeals through the public address system had no affect on the crowd, VHP chief Ashok Singhal tried to pacify the crowd but 'he was thrown out by them'.
"We could see from the roof that he (Singhal) was struggling but not succeeding in his effort."
"I left the roof with other leaders in the evening, after the structure was demolished and the makeshift temple was erected. Here, I also paid obeisance to Lord Rama," Dalmia said.
Indo-Asian News Service
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