The oldest litigant of the vexed Babri Masjid-Ram janmabhoomi title suit, Hashim Ansari passed away at his Ayodhya residence on Wednesday morning.
Ansari (96) was suffering from heart ailments for a long time and had undergone surgery a couple of months back in lucknow.
Family members of Ansari said that his end was very sudden. “Though he had heart ailment, he was fit and fine for the last few weeks. On Wednesday morning, he had tea and then suddenly collapsed on his bed around 5.30 am. We thought he had fainted and I took him in my arms, but he breathed his last,” Iqbal, Ansari’s son said.
Governor Ram Naik and Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav condoled the death of Hamid Ansari saying thatwith this death a saner voice of Hindu-Muslim unity has departed.
Atailorby profession, Hashim was known as 'chacha' by all and sundry. He lived in a narrow lane called Janmabhoomi Sampark Marg which is around 500 meter from the disputed site. He became popular because of his involvement in the Ayodhya shrine case, when he filed case in local court in 1949. He was first to file the suit in the court of Civil Judge of Faizabad against 'illegal encroachment of Masjid by Hindu Mahasabha'.
In 1961, Ansari became a plaintiff along with five others with Sunni Central Waqf Board of UP after the Board moved court filing the tittle suit for the mosque. Among other original plaintiffs were Mohammad Farooq, Shahabuddin, Maulana Nisaar, Mahmood Sahab and Hashim Ansari, all of whom have died earlier.
With Ansari's death, an era in Ayodhya dispute has come to an end. He was a witness to 'placing of Idols in Babri Masjid in 1949', unlocking of the disputed structure for Puja of Ram lalla as per a court's order in 1987, demolition of the mosque in 1992 and division of the disputed land into three parts by lucknow Bench of Allahabad High Court in 2010. He also became the first plaintiff in Supreme Court in 2011.
In 1954, he was sentenced to two years jail by Faizabad court for giving 'Azaan' (call for Namaz) in the Babri Masjid.
Ansari's friendship with the first chairman of Ramjanmabhoomi Nyas, Paramhans Ramchandra Das Maharaj was well known and both used to go in one rickshaw to the court for the case, albeit representing opposite sides.
Paramhans also helped Hashim financially during the time of need and thus their friendship continued even during the demolition of the disputed structure in 1992, until the death of Ramchandra Das in 2003.
“Ansari had maintained cordial relations with all. His death is unfortunate. I condole his demise,” said Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) spokesperson Sharad Sharma in Ayodhya.
In December 2014, Ansari had announced that he was withdrawing from the case but later said that he has given the power of attorney to his son Iqbal. Ansari was also a petitioner in the title suit case pending in the Supreme Court.
For the past few years, Ansari had spoken about an out-of-court settlement of the dispute. In February 2015, he had met Mahant Gyan Das of Hanuman Garhi in Ayodhya and had expressed his desire for the same.
“With his death the possibility of out of court settlement of this case has ended,” Sharma said.