Protesters demanding demolition break through barricades, clash with police

While Chief Minister Sukvinder Singh Sukhu did not issue any statement, state Public Works Department minister Vikramaditya Singh expressed concern over the situation and said government was keeping a a close watch on the developments.

“We are in touch with the central leadership and Chief Minister and I talked to party national president Mallikarjun Kharge and state in-charge Rajiv Shukla. They are concerned,” Vikramaditya said.

As the clashes broke out, students in Sanjauli and nearby areas were stranded in their schools for hours with parents asking why educational institutions were not closed despite prohibitory orders under section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita being imposed.

The protests were called by Right wing outfits, including Hindu Jagran Manch, who claim that the mosque has been illegally constructed on government land and that “outsiders” are given shelter there. The state Waqf Board, however, has claimed that the land belongs to it and the records show a single-story mosque being constructed in 1960s. It has claimed that the issue is not about legality but about four additional storeys that were added to the structure. The matter had reached the court of Shimla Municipal Commissioner in 2000 and is sub-judice.

The protesters first gathered at Dhalli Sabzi Mandi and then started marching towards Sanjauli. Raising religious slogans, they broke through the first layer of barricades set up near Dhalli tunnel and entered Sanjauli. As they broke through a second layer of barricades near the mosque, police resorted to lathi-charge and used water cannons to disperse them.

Police then detained several protesters, including Hindu Jagran Manch secretary Kamal Gautam, and again erected the barricade near the mosque. A group of protesters, including women, staged a dharna near the barricade with some of them reciting Hanuman Chalisa.

Shimla Superintendent of Police Sanjeev Kumar Gandhi, who was at the spot beside Director General of Police (DGP) Atul Verma, said the situation has been brought under control.

“Nearly 3,000 people had gathered at Sanjauli. After breaching the first layer of barricade, protesters started pelting stones, injuring four police personnel. Nobody managed to reach the mosque. The mob has now been dispersed and the situation is under control,” a senior police officer said.

Meanwhile, to protest against the police action on the demonstrators, the Shimla Beopar Mandal has called for a three-hour bandh on Thursday. Mandal president Sanjeev Thakur said the bandh would be from 10 am to 1 pm and protests and demonstrations would be held at various places.

Earlier, appealing for peace, Vikramaditya said the Hindu community has the right to protest peacefully but no one would be allowed to take law in their hands.

“I am a proud Hindu, and a proud Sanatani. Everyone has the right to protest abut it should not disturb the peaceful atmosphere,” Vikramaditya said.

Addressing media persons, he said the case pertaining to the unauthorised construction in the mosque is pending in the court and action would be taken under the ambit of law once the decision comes.”If the structure is found illegal, it would be demolished according to law,” he added.

The minister said the case is pending in the municipal commissioner’s court for the past 14 years. “During this period, there was a BJP government for five years and there were mayors of CPI-M and BJP also in the past…. a different picture is being portrayed in this matter in the entire country,” he said, adding politics should be done on the issue.

Senior BJP leader and former chief chief Jai Ram Thakur accused CM Sukhu of taking the matter lightly. “If the mosque is illegal, then take action as per the rules…The matter should be expedited as tension can spill over to other parts of the state also,” Thakur said in a statement.

He said the issue began when a local man was assaulted by some outsiders. “Later, the assailants took shelter in the illegal structure. This is not good. Even the Congress minister is questioning who these people are. Why did the current government stop the practice of registration of migrants, which was started in our regime,” asked Thakur.

The matter had rocked the Vidhan Sabha where Rural Development Minister Anirudh Singh had advocated the demolition of the mosque.

However, Vikramaditya said Himachal Pradesh was the “first state in the country to act against conversion during Congress rule when Virbhadra Singh was the chief minister and I am proud to be a Hindu but the government works under the purview of law”.

“We are sensitive towards the cause of the people of Himachal Pradesh and stand with them but minorities are also a part of the state and we have to ensure the safety of all,” he added.

“We cannot stop anybody from coming to the state to earn livelihood but we have to strengthen our internal security and verification of outsiders coming to the state would be done by the police as well as the municipal corporation,” he maintained.

On Tuesday, CM Sukhu had said the issue should not be given a political colour.

“Maintaining law and order is the responsibility of the government. People have the right to protest peacefully but there should be no damage to anyone from any community,” he had added.

On the mosque, he said the case of unauthorised or illegal construction of some floors is in the court and the law would take its course.

—With PTI