Heavy security in place ahead of Uttarkashi mahapanchayat after district admin gives permission
Days earlier, the Uttarakhand govt had told the High Court it had not granted permission for the mahapanchayat, which was called to push demands raised by certain groups for the demolition of a decades-old mosque that they claim was built illegally
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The mahapanchayat is set to be held later on Sunday after the Uttarkashi district administration gave it the go-ahead. (Express photo by Avaneesh Mishra)Heavy security was deployed near the Ram Leela maidan in Uttarkashi on Sunday morning as people started arriving for a ‘mahapanchayat’ called by Hindutva groups to push for their demand to demolish a decades-old mosque that they claim was built illegally.
The mahapanchayat is set to be held later on Sunday after the Uttarkashi district administration gave it the go-ahead. This comes days after the Uttarakhand government on Wednesday informed the High Court that no permission had been granted for the event. The next court hearing on the matter was scheduled for December 5.
Protesters affiliated with groups such as the Sanyukt Sanatan Dharm Raksha Sangh and Vishwa Hindu Parishad demanded the mosque’s demolition, delivering speeches that the petitioners termed hateful. (Express photo)
The district administration granted permission for the mahapanchayat with several conditions, including not making hate speech, not taking out rallies, not obstructing traffic, not inciting religious sentiments, and maintaining peace.
On Saturday night, police teams took stock of the preparations. Posters that said “Chalo Uttarkashi” have been installed at different locations in and around the ground.
On Wednesday, then Uttarkashi SP Amit Srivastava had told The Indian Express that personnel were deployed around the mosque to maintain law and order and that the mahapanchayat would not be allowed to be held in a public space. Srivastava was transferred the same day.
On November 24, while hearing the petition to prevent the planned mahapanchayat and ensure adequate security in the area, the Uttarakhand High Court had directed the state to ensure strict security around the mosque.
The petitioners, Alpsankhayak Seva Samiti president Mushraf Ali and Istiak Ahmed, had alleged threats and hate-driven campaigns targeting the mosque and the Muslim community. According to them, the mosque, established in 1969 on purchased land and registered as Waqf property in 1987, faced unfounded allegations of illegality from certain groups.
The petitioners claimed that on August 27, the District Magistrate’s office provided false information under the RTI Act, stating that no Nazul, freehold, or leased property was recorded in the name of the mosque. On September 6, a rally was held in Uttarkashi, where misinformation about the mosque being on government land was allegedly spread, they alleged.
Protesters affiliated with groups such as the Sanyukt Sanatan Dharm Raksha Sangh and Vishwa Hindu Parishad demanded the mosque’s demolition, delivering speeches that the petitioners termed hateful. The groups had then issued a three-day ultimatum to the administration to act on their demands.
The Sanyukt Sanatan Dharm Raksha Sangh, a coalition of various groups, submitted a memorandum to DM Meherban Singh Bisht on September 9, asserting that the mosque was not listed in revenue records and should be demolished.
In response, the DM appointed a committee led by SDM Bhatwari to investigate the claims. The committee found that the mosque was legally established and did not encroach on government land. The Sanyukt Sanatan Dharm Rakshak Sangh, however, rejected the committee’s findings and continued to insist that the mosque was illegal and should be demolished.
On October 24, a scuffle and stone-pelting during a protest rally against the mosque left several people injured, including police personnel.
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