New Delhi

On the anniversary of the demolition of the Babri mosque in Ayodhya, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday shared a video montage capturing key moments from the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, referring to the day as ‘Shaurya Diwas’ and honouring those who died during the decades-long campaign for the construction of the Ram temple at the disputed site.

Posting an image of the newly built Ram Temple on its official X account, the party wrote, “On Shaurya Diwas, countless salutations to all Sanatani warriors who ended 500 years of subjugation.”

For many years, the VHP and several Hindu organisations have observed December 6 as Shaurya Diwas (Day of Valour), whereas numerous Muslim groups continue to mark it as “Black Day” or Youm-e-Gham (Day of Sorrow).

The BJP’s video includes archival footage from December 6, 1992, when the Babri mosque was demolished, along with visuals of the ceremonial hoisting of the saffron Dharma Dwaj atop the Ram temple in Ayodhya and clips featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The party wrote in another post, “On Shaurya Diwas, we pay heartfelt homage to the Sanatani heroes who sacrificed their lives in the Shri Ram Temple movement and paved the way for the nation’s cultural resurgence.”

State units of the BJP — including Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Chandigarh, Gujarat, and Jammu and Kashmir — also shared similar posts, as did several party leaders.

Alok Sharma, BJP MP from Bhopal, wrote on X, “Warm wishes on Shaurya Diwas. On this day, the path was laid for the construction of the Shri Ram temple. Shaurya Diwas is our pride, a pride that will endure for generations. A hundred salutes to those Sanatani heroes whose sacrifices led to the cultural revival of the nation.”

Recently, the BJP government in Rajasthan withdrew a contentious directive that required all state schools to observe December 6 as “Shaurya Diwas,” following criticism from opposition parties and Muslim organisations.

Prime Minister Modi, on November 25, ceremonially raised the saffron Dharma Dhwaj atop the Ram temple in Ayodhya to mark the formal completion of the structure. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath were present at the ceremony.

The triangular saffron flag — 10 feet tall and 20 feet long — bears the image of a radiant Sun, the sacred ‘Om’ symbol and the Kovidara tree.

On December 6, 1992, thousands of karsevaks demolished the 16th-century Babri mosque, asserting that it had been built over a temple marking the birthplace of Lord Ram.

READ MORE: 2 Muslims discover essence of India through their temple visits

In a landmark ruling in 2019, a five-judge Constitution bench chaired by then Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi unanimously cleared the way for the construction of a Ram temple at the disputed site, granting the entire 2.77-acre land for the temple and assigning a five-acre plot elsewhere for a new mosque.