• Source:JND
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The Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust invited the sister of Kothari Brothers to the consecration ceremony of the temple on January 22. Upon receiving the invitation Purnima Kothari said that her brothers, who were among the first to hoist the saffron flag on Babri Masjid, must be seeing that their sacrifice is getting justice, adding that her brothers' names will be remembered forever for their contribution to the Ram Janmabhoomi Movement.    

''They (Ram and Sharad Kothari) must be seeing that their sacrifice is getting justice... The temple will stay for thousands of years, so will their names stay forever. I am very proud," she said while expressing her happiness for the construction of the temple. 

Who Were Kothari Brothers?

Ram Kothari and Sharad Kothari, aged 22 and 20,  were residents of Kolkata and members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP). The brothers joined the Ram Janmabhoomi Movement after a call by VHP for Karseva in Ayodhya to establish the temple at the disputed Babri Mosque, which was later demolished on December 7, 1992 by a huge mob of Karsevaks.   

The Kothari Brothers were renowned members of VHP who led about 60 Karsevaks to Ayodhya on October 22, 1990. The VHP group marched towards the disputed Babri Mosque wearing saffron-coloured clothes, which at the back read ''Kafan'' (shroud), in their journey. 

After departing from Kolkata, their group had to stop at Benaras as the railway was barred from going further, so they took a taxi to Kolhapur. From there, they had to walk nearly 200 kms, to reach Ayodhya.

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The group reached their destination on October 30 at 4 am after a series of altercations with the local police where they faced blockade, lathi charge and tear gas among others. They were the first to enter the premises of the Babri Mosque and hoisted the flag, marking an event in history.

The Kothari Brothers returned to Ayodhya from Faizabad on November 2, when they met their tragic fate as Ram and Sharad Kothari were shot dead by the administration for allegedly creating nuisance and disturbing the public order in Ayodhya.

The lane where they died in Ayodhya started being called as Shahid Marg. Their bullet-ridden bodies were found in a lane near the Hanuman Garhi temple, which is very close to the Ram Temple. 

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"This is the first joy in the last 33 years. We waited for 33 years after the sacrifice of my brothers, and we are very happy... I have not forgotten anything of what happened to my brothers 33 years ago...Today we are able to see the grand Ram Temple in front of our eyes. But at some time, we lost all hope we had... I thought I would never be able to witness it... I am happy and proud... The sacrifice of my brothers is getting its due respect today..." sister of the Kothari Brothers, Poornima Kothari said after receiving the invitation for the Ram Mandir inauguration ceremony.