The hill state of Himachal Pradesh continues to grapple with the Sanjauli mosque issue as shops remained closed in several towns given the two-hour bandh amid locals protesting against the construction of an 'illegal' mosque and police using water cannons, lathi-charge on the protesters.
The bandh call till 11 AM given by the VHP and various business groups saw protest marches by some Hindu organisations at Bilaspur, Kullu, Chamba, Hamirpur, Poanta Sahib, and other places. There was not much impact in Shimla as the Beopar Mandal had already observed a bandh on Thursday.
The protesters also recited Hanuman Chalisa during the bandh period in Hamirpur and Chamba towns and raised slogans.
The protest was against unauthorised construction of a portion of a mosque in Shimla and encroachment on government land by a mosque in Mandi besides baton charge on protestors of Hindu groups in Shimla on Wednesday and the use of water cannon on demonstrators in Mandi on Friday, VHP officer bearers said.
"The Manali Beopar Mandal kept the shops closed for two hours," said Rajneesh, general secretary of Manali Beopar Mandal Rajneesh.
Shops also remained closed in Dalhousie. Proper verification of outsiders should be done and encroachments should be dealt with strictly, said a shopkeeper of Dalhousie.
The protesters are also demanding verification of outsiders living in the state.
Ten people including four police personnel were injured in the clash between the police and the protestors in the Sanjauli area of Shimla town on Wednesday and FIRs have been registered against 50 people by the police.
"There have been several incidents of Muslims taking laws in hands in Chamba and we have been strongly advocating for verification of outsiders for a long time," said VHP state president Keshav Verma.
"The VHP would continue to fight for the rights of Hindus and local people and would not allow people from other states with fake Aadhaar cards to harm their cause," said state VHP assistant secretary Pankaj Bhartiya.
"A number of unauthorised mosques have come up in various parts of the state including Hamirpur," he alleged.
Anil Soni, the head of the traders' association in Hamirpur, stated that local businesspeople are backing the community's concerns and will not stand for individuals selling goods without valid documentation or paying taxes. On Friday, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu urged the public to maintain peace and harmony, stressing that tourists are welcome.
"I appeal to everyone to maintain peace and make no provocative statements. No one is allowed to take the law into their hands. We respect everyone. The land of Himachal has respect for all religions," he had said.
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