Due to an ongoing dispute over the Sanjauli mosque structure in Shimla, various Hindu organisations have urged the Muslim community to avoid offering Friday prayers inside the building until the court settles the matter.
They referred to the Himachal Pradesh High Court’s order to maintain status quo and an earlier directive from the Municipal Commissioner calling for the demolition of the top floors of the structure.
Narender Thakur of the Devbhoomi Sangharsh Samiti said they respect the court’s directions and hope the verdict on March 9 will support the lower court’s order to demolish three upper floors of the mosque building.
He also urged the Muslim community to help keep communal harmony by staying away from the unauthorised part of the building for prayers until the legal process is complete.
Vijay Sharma, the convenor of the organisation, added that the High Court’s status quo order should not be seen as permission to use the disputed section for prayers. He urged the community to avoid any step that could raise tensions and asked both sides to respect the court process.
On the other hand, Sanjauli Mosque Committee chairman Lateef Negi said the land belongs to the Waqf Board and the issue is only about the extra construction. He said they will follow the court order and will remove another floor soon, but insisted that Friday prayers should continue peacefully as usual. Negi further asked all groups to maintain calm and obey the court’s directions until the case is decided.
Tension around the mosque has remained in recent weeks, but leaders from both communities say they are hopeful that peace will continue while the legal proceedings go on.
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