The ongoing clash in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal has already claimed five lives so far. It erupted over a court-ordered archaeological survey of the city’s Jama Masjid, with protesting Muslims violently confronting the police and resulting in the tragedy. Sadly, this isn’t an isolated story in India. The country’s history is dotted with disputes over religious places, each leaving a trail of loss and pain.
These clashes are not just a loss of life — they strip communities of their dignity and deepen divisions. Over the decades, battles over religious places have turned into flashpoints, exposing fault lines in a diverse nation. From Ayodhya to now Sambhal, the phenomenon is moving toward an endless cycle of confrontation instead of bringing a meaningful closure.
Ayodhya to Sambhal
Growing up, it was almost normal to see the whole nation brace for heightened security every time a date or hearing related to the Ayodhya dispute was announced. For someone like me, whose parents and extended family come from Uttar Pradesh, the spectre of the 1992 riots loomed large in family conversations. Listening to countless stories of loss, pain, and grief was part of our shared memory and history. When the Ayodhya judgment was finalised in 2019, there was a sense of relief among the people around me. Many felt a weight had been lifted, and perhaps, the nation could now move forward without more confrontation and bitterness. For the first time, it seemed possible to leave the past behind and focus on building a more harmonious future.
I still remember the moment when volunteers came to our housing society to collect donations for the construction of the Ram Mandir. My mother happily contributed. She told them, “I am happy in the happiness of the Hindu community.” She believed that this act could symbolise healing and development, that it might mark a new beginning for a nation too often torn apart by its history. But the new development in Sambhal seems to be going in the opposite direction.
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India must ask itself this
India’s history is filled with many kinds of injustices, including the destruction of Hindu holy places and the construction of mosques atop them. These events have left deep scars, and for a nation to move forward, the challenge is to address a few select grievances with care and finality, offering a sense of closure that fosters healing across communities. So, what was meant to be a step toward reconciliation should not be co-opted by an agenda that perpetuates endless grievances driven by extreme forces. This push is not about healing but about reopening wounds. It risks fracturing the unity of a diverse nation. The nation must ask itself: How far will it go before the pursuit of historical justice turns into a perpetual source of conflict?
All the religious sites in India symbolise freedom of all faiths and co-existence. Sadly, they’re now becoming battlegrounds, leaving ordinary citizens to bear the brunt. It’s worth pondering that nobody benefits from such clashes apart from opportunists. For the victims and their families, it is only a painful loss.
Even Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat said, “Why look for a ‘Shivling’ in every mosque?” Ironically, even the RSS and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are not considered “Hindu enough” by Right-wing forces. Similarly, Left hardliner voices refuse to even engage in any such discussions about Kashi and Mathura. They shut down any attempt to acknowledge these disputed histories, making it harder to reconcile further.
It is now up to the sensible, moderate voices to rise above this divisive rhetoric and walk a path of truth and reconciliation, one that seeks closure without reopening old wounds and aims to take India forward as a diverse and united nation instead of setting a precedent for endless resources spent on revisiting the past.
In a country as diverse as India, protecting the sanctity of all religious places and the rights of all communities should be non-negotiable. Yet, this requires leadership that prioritises harmony over hegemony and reconciliation over rhetoric. I hope the nation avoids the path critics have long warned about, the path of endless confrontation. The government must address the real issue — not just law and order but also the Places of Worship Act. Put an end to it, once and for all.
Amana Begam Ansari is a columnist. She runs a weekly YouTube show called ‘India This Week by Amana and Khalid’. She tweets @Amana_Ansari. Views are personal.
(Edited by Humra Laeeq)
The places of worship act is a nonsensical bs. If a mosque is built over a temple and in most such cases the linga inside is stored in abject conditions with the Muslim community knowing about it, but refusing to budge, it shows what attitudes they carry. They still believe we live i. The Mughal era. All such asses should move to their PAK land.
Historical reparations and apologies mean nothing when you take into account the fact that many men who worked for the Mughals and British and obeyed their orders were men from the very community now demanding apologies. So who should apologize to whom exactly?
Will Brahmins of today apologize for the crimes their ancestors did on lower castes? It makes no sense to demand an apology when the Brahmins of today are not the ones running temple prostitution or ostracising dalits.
The truth is that it is not about old historical wounds but about present attitudes.
It is incomprehensible in modern day moderate society to have to witness places of worship being built over broken pieces of other places of worship. Time for some good old “paschataap” and time to say sorry! For a world busy discussing if Palestine truly exists, nothing is more dishonest than watching mosques built over broken idols and documenting that as takes off bravado and racial superiority . Yes, Amana, the moderate voices need to rise up especially from among those who documented loot and plunder as tales of bravery .