While hectic preparations are ongoing for the Pran Pratishtha consecration ceremony for the Ram temple in Ayodhya on January 22, 2024, it’s time to reflect that on that day in 1999, Graham Stuart Staines, an Australian Christian missionary, along with his two young sons, Philip and Timothy, were burnt alive in their vehicle by Bajrang Dal activist Dara Singh, and the crowd outside the vehicle was circumambulating and shouting “Jai Shri Ram”.
The murder shook the entire country and wounded its collective conscience. Ironically, the date chosen for the consecration ceremony falls on the 25th anniversary of the murder, and cries will once again resonate at Ayodhya - “Jai Shri Ram”.
