Hashim Ansari, 96-year-old, an oldest litigant in Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi case has been passed away at his residence in Ayodhya on early Wednesday morning. Reports said, he was suffering from heart ailments for a long time.
Iqbal, Ansari’s son, who is also a Samajwadi Party worker, told a leading daily that his father took his last breath at 5.30 am on Wednesday morning. Iqbal said, “His health condition was not well for the past six years. He had undergone surgery too. But, today morning, he did not complain of any health problem. He was sitting in his room after taking tea. Suddenly he collapsed. His body will be buried this evening at 5 pm in Ayodhya.”
Hashim Ansari earlier had said that he is withdrawing from the case in December 2014. Later, he confirmed that he has given power of attorney of the case to his son Iqbal. Ansari had been living at his residence in Ayodhya at Janmabhoomi Sampark Marg, reports said, which is nearly 400 meters from the disputed site. Ansari, a tailor by profession, had to face tremendous difficulties for filing the case initially.
He was advocating for the mosque since 1949 when idols of Lord Rama forcefully planted at the disputed site. The first chairman of Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas Paramhans Ramchandra Das had helped him financially at that time, according to the reports.
Sharad Sharma, Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) spokesperson in Ayodhya said, “Ansari had maintain cordial relations with all. His death is unfortunate. I condoles on his demise.”
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Ansari, since past few years had been saying that the dispute should be settled outside the court. He had met Mahant Gyan Das of Hanuman Garhi in Ayodhya and expressed his desire for outside-the-court settlement. Both, then, had agreed that the dispute must be settled without any violence.
Eaarlier, when the trucks filled with 35 tonne of Pink sandstone had come to the disputed site for the creation of Lord Rama temple at the disputed site, Ansari had called the incident a political stunt of VHP to support BJP to come in power in the state’s assembly election of 2017. He had said, “The move of the Nyas and VHP to collect stones was a politically motivated stunt ahead of the UP assembly elections (due in 2017). They are doing this drama to misguide people. The matter is sub-judice, the court will take a decision.”
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By Prajakt K
