Jaipur, Dec. 1 -- The Rajasthan government on Sunday withdrew an order issued on Saturday asking schools across the state to celebrate December 6, the anniversary of Babri Masjid demolition in Ayodhya, where Ram Temple has been built, as 'Shaurya Diwas'. The Rajasthan Education Department cited ongoing half-yearly examination for cancelling the order, which was released at 9.38 p.m. on Saturday by Education Minister Madan Dilawar. "The day when Babri Masjid was demolished (December 6) will be celebrated as the Shaurya Diwas.The students, on this day, will participate in various cultural events that will enrich their sense of patriotism and nationalism," read the order seen by HT. The order asked the schools to organise essay competition on the topics such as 'The pride of Indian culture and Ram Mandir movement', 'The tradition of valour and sacrifice in India' and 'The contribution of Indian youth in nation building' and painting competition on themes such as 'Ayodhya Ram Mandir', 'National unity', and 'Brave warriors of India.' "They will observe the day of Ram temple demolition as the restoration of the pride of Bharat. There should also be a special event to worship Lord Ram and perform his bhajanas," the order stated. Directing to consider the order as 'top priority', the directorate also instructed the Divisional Joint Director of School Education in Kota to organise a state-level event in Bundi district on December 6 to mark 'Shaurya Diwas- 2025' in which Dilawar would be the chief guest. In a statement circulated on the official WhatsApp group, Dilawar said, "Ram is an ideal figure of Indian culture and the Ram Mandir movement is the pride of our country that reminds us of our great sacrifices, valour, and sense of unity for this country. Students will be inspired with this movement and celebrating that day in school will enhance their sense of nationalism. " On Sunday morning, the minister told HT at his official residence that it would be wrong to call it the demolition day of Babri Masjid. "It was a controversial structure which was built on the land of Lord Ram's birthplace. This structure was removed on that day. Seventy-eight battles took place against it since (Mughal Emperor) Babur's era in the last 500 years during which 3 lakh people sacrificed their lives." He also announced that December 6 will be celebrated annually. Earlier, in the annual calendar of primary school education published on July 9, 2024, the department also added the celebration of the Ram temple consecration on January 22. However, at 9.16 am his office issued a statement taking back the order. "Such events cannot be organised during a time when the exams would be ongoing across the schools from December 5 and December 6. Hence, the Shaurya Diwas event has been postponed," it said. Reacting to the development, the Congress spokesperson Swarnim Chaturvedi, said, "Rajasthan education department should be awarded for its constant flip-flop in every single decision. This also shows a clear miscommunication between the ministers and the chief minister. Such issues are nothing but only means to divert people's attention from the poor condition of education and infrastructure across Rajasthan. Babri Masjid demolition was a criminal offence. This is unfair how the BJP government is trying to inject such communal mindset among the school children." General secretary of Rajasthan Muslim Forum, Mohammed Nazimuddin, said, "We will meet the chief secretary and the education minister if such an order would be imposed on the children ever. We live in a secular country. How could the government force every student to celebrate the demolition of Babri Masjid?" Social Activist Kavita Shrivastava said, "On 6 December 1992, in Ayodhya, communal forces demolished the Babri Masjid, violating the orders of the Supreme Court of India. This incident triggered widespread communal violence across the country, leading to the deaths of thousands of innocent people. It inflicted a deep wound on the secular fabric of the Indian Constitution, shattering its very spirit. Such an order is a blatant violation of the National Education Policy 2020, the Right to Education Act, 2009, the Indian Constitution, and even the Supreme Court's judgement." She added, they have taken the order back but they have "not cancelled" the idea. She recalled that the Supreme Court, on November 9, 2019, had observed that demolition, damage, and desecration of Babri Masjid as an illegal act and called it "egregious violation of the rule of law"....