Claim
Before that, Rajiv Gandhi had the locks of the disputed site opened — these are historical facts.
“उससे पहले राजीव गांधी ने तब ताला खुलवाया। बहुत सारी बातें हैं। वो हिस्टोरिकल फैक्ट्स है।”▶ Watch source segment
Rationale
The locks of the disputed Babri Masjid/Ram Janmabhoomi site were opened on 1 February 1986, while Rajiv Gandhi was Prime Minister. Formally the order came from the Faizabad District Judge on a third-party petition, but the historical record — contemporaneous accounts, testimony of minister Arif Mohammad Khan, and journalistic histories — broadly supports that the Rajiv Gandhi government engineered or at least facilitated the unlocking (state counsel did not oppose it, the site was unlocked within an hour, and Doordarshan covered it immediately). The anchor's shorthand 'Rajiv Gandhi got the lock opened' matches the mainstream historical consensus, with the minor caveat that the immediate legal instrument was a court order.
Evidence
- https://www.scobserver.in/journal/timeline-key-events-in-the-babri-masjid-ram-mandir-controversy/ Supreme Court Observer timeline confirms the locks of the disputed Ayodhya site were opened on 1 February 1986 by order of the Faizabad District Court (Judge K.M. Pandey), during Rajiv Gandhi's tenure as Prime Minister. ✓ reachable · archived
- https://www.thenewsminute.com/news/how-rajiv-gandhi-fell-for-bad-advice-to-open-babri-masjid-locks-in-1986 Reports the widely documented account (including Arif Mohammad Khan's testimony and journalistic histories) that Rajiv Gandhi's government decided to greenlight and facilitate the unlocking, seen as a balancing act after the Shah Bano reversal. ✓ reachable · archived
- https://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/unlocking-of-babri-masjid-was-a-balancing-act-post-shah-bano-case-117032800371_1.html Business Standard: the 1986 unlocking was a political balancing act by the Rajiv Gandhi government after the Shah Bano case; Rajiv Gandhi told Arif Mohammad Khan that Muslim leaders were informed before the lock was removed, indicating government involvement. ✗ unreachable · HTTP 403