Himachal: Controversy Erupts In Shimla As Local Residents Hold Protest Over Illegally Built Mosque

A large protest took place outside the Sanjauli Masjid in Himachal Pradesh's Shimla on Thursday (6 September), with BJP workers, several Hindu organisations, and local residents calling for the demolition of what they claim to be an “illegal” mosque.

"This mosque has been built illegally. The four floors of the mosque are illegal. If we construct anything illegally, it is immediately demolished. It has been 10 years, but no action has been taken on the mosque. This illegal mosque should be demolished," a protester Ankush Chauhan, who is also a BJP worker, was quoted as saying by ANI.

“The entire Hindu, Sanatani community is protesting. It has nothing to do with the BJP or the Congress. Hindu Samaj is fighting against this. The reason behind the protests now is that on Tuesday, some Muslim men attacked one of our Hindu brothers in which he sustained injuries. This protest is the result of that incident. An investigation should be done on the increasing number of Muslims in the state, whether they are Rohingyas or Bangladeshis," he added.

The controversy over the mosque gained momentum on Wednesday after a heated exchange between Congress leaders Anirudh Singh and Harish Janartha in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly regarding the mosque’s legal status.

Janartha argued there was no unrest in the region, asserting that the mosque, originally built before 1960, had three additional floors that were illegally added in 2010 on land owned by the Waqf Board.

He further noted that both local Muslims and outsiders were residing in the mosque and that illegal toilets had already been demolished.

He also blamed certain elements for escalating the issue unnecessarily.

In his response, State Rural Development Minister Anirudh Singh clarified that the number of Muslim Tehbazari (licence to hawk) holders was not 190 but 1,900.

He stressed that Tehbazari permits should only be issued to bona fide Himachalis, with permissions given to outsiders being cancelled.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu assured that the government had no intention of causing disruption to any community.

“We will not let any incident happen in the state. Political protests keep happening but no political worker has any right to disturb law and order in the state,” Sukhu said, while speaking to news agency ANI.

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