Senior IAS Officer admits to celebrating Babri Demolition in 1992, recalls enjoying Kesar Peda

A senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer from the 1992 batch, Manisha Patankar Mhaiskar, recently took to social media to reveal that she and her colleagues celebrated the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya on December 6, 1992. The admission, shared in a Facebook post, highlighted a discreet meeting organized during their Foundation Course at Mussoorie, with the news of the demolition slowly reaching them.

Confession of celebration and controversy

In her lengthy post, Patankar Mhaiskar reminisces about the cold day in 1992, where an invitation-only meeting was organized, and some probationers were chanting 'Jai Shri Ram.' She admitted to consuming a Kesar pedha, a sweet, and expressed her belief that the events in Ayodhya marked the beginning of something positive and auspicious. However, she acknowledged that the news of their celebration leaked, resulting in the issuance of notices to the participants.

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Patankar Mhaiskar acknowledged the negative perception of the 1992 batch, labeled as "disappointing" and mainly comprising easily excitable small-town individuals. She questioned the fate of secularism and the contrast with the privileged kids from influential backgrounds. Despite the backlash, she maintained that the belief in the positive and auspicious nature of the December 6, 1992 events remained firm.

Life coming full circle with Ram Temple inauguration

The post concluded with Patankar Mhaiskar reflecting on life coming full circle, particularly with the inauguration of the Ram Temple on the same day as her revelation. She mentioned consuming a 'kesari pedha' on the eve of the idol consecration ceremony and connecting it to the seminal moment of December 6, 1992.

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Accompanying the post was a photograph of Patankar Mhaiskar feeding sweets to her husband, Milind Mhaiskar, also an IAS officer. The revelation and the subsequent photograph stirred controversy, drawing attention to the polarized reactions surrounding the Babri Masjid demolition and its aftermath.