Baba Lal Das

Baba Lal Das (died 16 November 1993) was the first Mahant (Chief Hindu Priest) of the idols of the deity Rama placed within the Babri Masjid complex in Ayodhya. He was appointed to his position by the Lucknow High Court in 1981. Lal Das was a fierce critic of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Vishva Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal, and he criticized these groups in the 1992 documentary Ram ke Naam. The CBI took over the investigation of the case in 1994 and charged two people for murder over a land dispute. At the time of his death, a case he had brought to the High Court challenging his dismissal had yet to be resolved. Lal Das was seen as a promoter of religious harmony between Hindus and Muslims in the region.