Himachal Congress Minority Morcha's delegation apprised the party's central leaders on Thursday of the atmosphere of fear created in the state by targeting a particular community and staging demonstrations near mosques.
The delegation, led by Iqbal Mohammad, met with Congress General Secretary K C Venugopal and Minority Morcha National President Imran Pratapgarhi in New Delhi on Thursday. Venugopal subsequently spoke with Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu over the phone to address the issue.
In a statement here, the state Congress Minority Morcha said the situation has become tense due to demonstrations by Hindu outfits in front of mosques and efforts were being made to vitiate the atmosphere and instill fear among Muslims.
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu is trying to take people of all religions along but some elements are trying to spoil the atmosphere and malign the government, it added.
According to the statement, Venugopal spoke to the chief minister over the phone over the issue.
Ten people were injured during a protest demanding the demolition of a portion of a mosque in Shimla's Sanjauli area last week. In Mandi, police used water cannons on protestors demanding the demolition of an unauthorised portion of a mosque in the town.
On Tuesday, residents of Kasumpti in Shimla submitted a memorandum to demolish a mosque in the area and similar demands are also coming in from Sunni and other areas in the state.
The unrest stems from a communal dispute sparked by an altercation between a minority-community barber and a local businessman in Shimla's Malyana area on 30 August. Hindu groups have since called for the demolition of unauthorised mosques and verification of outsiders entering the state.
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