Ayodhya issue: Chief litigant Mahant Bhaskar Das dead

Ayodhya, Sept 16: Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid chief litigant Mahant Bhaskar Das died here today after a prolonged illness. He was around 90. Das was the sarpanch mahant (chief priest) of the Nirmohi Akhada in Ayodhya and the chief Hindu litigant in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri masjid case. Earlier last year, the chief litigant of the Muslim side Hasim Ansari too died at the age of 95. Das, who had been unwell for a long time, was rushed to the Harshan Heart Institute in Faizabad on Wednesday night after he complained of severe breathing problems. He passed away around 0300 hrs today. Apart from being the Nirmohi Akhada sarpanch, he was also the mahant of the Naka Hanuman Gadhi in Faizabad district. His body has been placed at the Gadhi for people to pay tributes. The mortal remains will be cremated (jal Samadhi) in the Saryu river here this afternoon. According to Naka Hanuman Gadhi, Das was born in Ranideh village in Gorakhpur in 1929. His father's name was Bhagwat Pathak. When he was around 16, Das joined the Naka Hanuman Gadhi temple and began performing service at the temple and his religious studies. In 1959, Nirmohi Akhada’s mahant Raghunath Das filed a case claiming Ram Janmabhoomi. At that time, Das, who was in charge of rituals at Ram Chabutra on the premises, too joined the case and filed the claim. After the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court gave a verdict in the case on September 30, 2010, Bhaskar Das filed a petition in the Supreme Court for ownership of the entire Ram Janmabhoom premises. The case is still going on, and now after Bhaskar Das’ demise, his disciple Mahant Ram Das is likely to take over as the litigant. UNI