Protests over the alleged illegal construction of a mosque in the Sanjauli area of Shimla have gone loud over the last few days, with the locals, including various members of Hindu organisations, demanding the demolition of the structure.
The protesters gathered in Sanjauli on Thursday, raised loud slogans of vande mataram and alleged that the four storeys of the mosque were constructed unauthorisedly and should be immediately demolished. They said no action had been
On Wednesday, Town and Country Planning Minister, Anirudh Singh made a mention in the House during a discussion on a calling attention motion that as per records the illegal construction case involving the mosque had been going on since 2010 in Shimla Municipal Corporation.
He said unauthorised construction had been done on 6357 square feet as per MC records. He said it was a matter of concern that the Shimla MC had been sleeping over the matter and it got to know only in 2023 that it had been calling a wrong respondent in the case.
“The matter is not about religion. It is about illegal construction,” he said.
He said it was a serious issue that the outsiders, as he pointed to a particular community, had been coming to Himachal Pradesh in large numbers and they were seen all over in Shimla. He said just anybody is sitting on the roadside in the congested markets to sell one or the other thing. “There should be proper verification before issuance of a license to hawk (Tehbazari)” he said.
In his reply, Urban Development Minister, Vikramaditya Singh said the matter was pending with the court of Commissioner, Shimla Municipal Corporation since 2010. “Action would be taken as soon as the case is decided,” he said. The minister appealed to both communities to exercise restraint and maintain communal harmony.
Moving the calling attention motion earlier, Congress MLA from Shimla, Harish Janartha, however, contended that the mosque was built before 1960, but three storeys were constructed illegally on Waqf Board land in 2010. He said there was no tension in the area, but accused some elements of flaring up the matter. He accused some elements of flaring up the matter.
Initiating the discussion, BJP MLA from Chopal in Shimla district, Balbir Verma demanded the demolition of the four unauthorized storeys of the mosque.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister, Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Thursday said the state respects all the religions, but none would be allowed to violate the law. He said the Urban Development Minister had already given his statement on the issue.
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