Amidst the escalating tension of the construction of Shimla Mosque, representative of the Muslim welfare committee on Tuesday submitted a memorandum to the Shimla Municipal Corporation Commissioner Bhupender Kumar Attri and asked the civic body to seal the unauthorized portion of the structure at Sanjauli, adding that it would demolish that part itself in accordance with a court order.
As reported by the PTI, the panel comprises the Imam of the mosque and members of the Waqf board and the mosque management committee.
In the new development in the case, a delegation of the committee made the request in a representation to Bhupendra Attri and said Muslims living in the locality are permanent residents of Himachal Pradesh and it was taking the step to preserve harmony and brotherhood.
“We have sought permission from the Shimla municipal commissioner to demolish the unauthorized part of the mosque situated in Sanjauli,” PTI quoted member of the welfare committee Mufti Mohammad Shafi Kasmi as saying.
The Imam of the Sanjauli mosque said and the News Agency PTI reported, “There is no pressure on us, we have been living here for decades and this decision has been taken as a Himachali. We want to stay in peace and brotherhood should prevail.”
Move Welcomed by Dev Bhoomi
The move was welcomed by the members of the Dev Bhoomi Who had given the protest call against the unauthorized construction in the mosque.
“We welcome the move of the Muslim community and would be the first to hug them for taking this initiative in the larger interest,” member of the samiti Vijay Sharma said.
Protest over the Mosque
The incident follows a clash on Wednesday between protesters and security personnel in Shimla’s Sanjauli area, where demonstrators demanded the demolition of an illegal section of a mosque. The protesters broke through barricades and threw stones, prompting police to respond with water cannons and baton charges to disperse the crowd. Around 10 people, including police officers and women, were injured in the violence.
“We are in touch with the central leadership and Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and myself have talked to party president Mallikarjun Kharge and party in-charge Rajiv Shukla and they are also concerned that there was no deterioration in law and order situation,” Himachal Pradesh Minister Vikramaditya said.
Hundreds of protesters, chanting slogans like “Jai Shri Ram” and “Hindu Ekta Zindabad,” gathered at Sabzi Mandi Dhalli and marched towards Sanjauli market, defying prohibitory orders and disregarding warnings from the administration. The crowd broke through barricades set up near the Dhalli tunnel, while another group assembled at Sanjauli Chowk, intensifying tensions in the area.
