Indian court acquits all accused in razing of Babri mosque

An Indian court has acquitted all 32 people who had been accused of crimes in a 1992 attack and demolition of a 16th century mosque that sparked Hindu-Muslim violence leaving some 2,000 people dead.

Four senior leaders of the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party had been among the accused at the trial that languished in India’s sluggish legal system for almost 28 years.

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The four party leaders were accused of making inflammatory speeches that incited followers ahead of the attack. The four have said that the mosque’s demolition was spontaneous.

The verdict on Wednesday follows a ruling by India’s Supreme Court last year favoring the building of a Hindu temple on a disputed site in Ayodhya.

Associated Press