Shimla, Sep 11: Protestors demanding the demolition of an illegal portion of a mosque in Shimla’s Sanjauli area were lathi-charged by security forces on Wednesday after they broke police barricades during a demonstration.
Raising slogans of “Jai Shri Ram” and “Hindu Ekta Zindabad”, hundreds of protestors gathered at the Sabzi Mandi Dhalli and marched towards Sanjauli, defying prohibitory orders and ignoring warnings by the administration to lodge their protest and broke barricades erected near the Dhalli tunnel.
As the protestors gathered on the call of some Hindu groups entered Sanjauli and broke a second barricade near the mosque, police resorted to lathi-charge and used water cannons to disperse them.
Police detained some protesters as well, including Hindu Jagran Manch secretary Kamal Gautam, and erected the barricade near the mosque again but the protesters refused to leave and continued raising slogans against the administration.
Many women also joined the protest and recited Hanuman Chalisa at Dhalli before breaking the barricades.
Senior police officials, including DGP Atul Verma, were at the spot.
Vijay Sharma, one of the demonstration’s leaders, said the police action has resulted in a volatile atmosphere in the area.
He said the matter has been lingering for 14 years and the next date for court hearing is October 5. “We demand that the structure be sealed till the hearing is concluded, all outsiders coming to the state be registered and vendor’s policy be formulated on a population basis with 95 per cent license to Hindus,” he added.
Protesters alleged that the government denied them permission to hold peaceful protests and now, they are being arrested. They also claimed that some protesters suffered injuries in the police action.
A policewoman sustained injuries in a scuffle with the protesters.
Amid escalating tensions over the unauthorised construction in the Sanjauli area mosque and a bandh call sounded by Hindu outfits to press for the demolition of the disputed structure, Sanjauli and adjoining areas have been converted into a fortress with heavy police deployment.
The Shimla district administration has issued prohibitory orders under section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, barring the assembly of five or more people and the carrying of lethal weapons and arms.
Himachal Pradesh Public Works Minister Vikramaditya Singh appealed for peace and said the state government would take necessary legal action on the dispute around the mosque.
“It is not the case of one structure but there are more than 4,000-5,000 such structures. The matter has been pending in the municipal commissioner’s court for the past 14 years and efforts would be taken to expedite the case,” he added.
The Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Jai Ram Thakur also appealed to protesters not to defy the prohibitory orders.
“The case of the unauthorised mosque is very sensitive and should not be dealt with routinely and the matter should be expedited as tension can spill over to other parts of the state also,” he warned the government.
On Tuesday, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu 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 added.
As far as the mosque is concerned, the case of unauthorised or illegal construction of some floors is in the court of the municipal corporation and the law would take its course and requests would be made for early decision on the issue, Sukhu said.
Hindu organisations demanding the demolition of the disputed structure in the mosque and the registration of outsiders coming to the state had given the call for the Sanjauli bandh on Wednesday,
Last Thursday, Hindu groups staged massive protests at the Chaura Maidan here in the vicinity of the Vidhan Sabha and Sanjauli to press for their demands. (PTI)
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