Muslim leaders today demanded that the Congress-led UPA government table the Liberhan Commission Report in the coming session of Parliament and punish those responsible for the demolition of the Babri mosque.
"The Muslim community was waiting for this report since 17 years. Now we expect that the UPA government will immediately table it in the coming session of Parliament," All India Babri Masjid Action Committee (AIBMAC) chairman Javed Habib said.
Habib, whose group is fighting for the reconstruction of the mosque which was demolished by a mob in 1992, demanded the government set up a fast-track court to try the culprits of the crime.
"The Government should set up a fast track time-bound court to try those involved in the demolition of the centuries old mosque in Ayodhya," he said and demanded a package similar to the one given to 1984-riots victims for the victims of the riots which took place following the demolition of the mosque.
"The victims should be given compensation and guilty should be punished," he said.
Commenting on the report, Delhi-based Jama Masjid's Shahi Imam Syed Ahmed Bukhari said, "the delay in submission of the report shows the attitude of the government."
"We will wait till the government announces the outcome of the report and we will see what action it takes," Bukhari added.
"The then prime minister PV Narasimha Rao had promised to rebuild the demolished mosque. Congress should clarify its stand on his statement," Habib asked, saying the Congress government should apologise for what had happened during its regime in 1992.
The Liberhan Commission, probing the 1992 demolition of Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, today submitted its report to prime minister Manmohan Singh, nearly 17 years after the razing of the 16th century mosque.
Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind spokesman Abdul Hameed Nomani said that politics over the Babri Mosque should be stopped and the culprits should be brought to justice.
"The mosque was demolished 17 years back and now the situation has changed. The political parties should stop playing politics over the mosque's demolition," he said.
"The culprits should be punished and victims should be compensated so that the common man could feel that justice has been done," Noamani said, adding "the people should know who were the people who tried to divide the nation on religious lines."
"If the people responsible for whipping up communal passion to serve their political ambitions are not brought to justice, it will be a dent on the confidence of minorities and people at large," said Noamani.
He said the Babri mosque episode was politically motivated and both the BJP and the Congress had used it to serve their purposes.
"We hope the report is not an eyewash and it is not dumped like many other reports, submitted by previous commissions, have been," he said.
All India Muslim Personal Law Board member SR Ilyas said, "It is not very encouraging that the Commission took 17 years and four dozen extensions to submit its report but we will still call it a welcome development if it fixes clear responsibility for the incident."
"It should immediately be tabled in Parliament and made public," he said.
Zafarul Islam Khan, president All India Muslim Majils-e-Mushawarat said if the report mentions some "big names" it might be difficult for the government to take action.
"Those who have been named in the chargesheet of the case are big names now, they have been deputy prime minister and HRD minister, it would not be very easy to initiate action against them."
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