New dispute over mosque in Himachal, demand to run bulldozer on another mosque

After Sanjauli in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, the issue is now heating up regarding another mosque. People living in Kasumpti of the city on Tuesday demanded the demolition of a mosque in their area. Locals claimed that the mosque is unauthorized.

Subodh Kumar Mishra language, ShimlaTue, 17 Sep 2024 04:36 PM Share

After Sanjauli in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, the issue of another mosque is heating up. People living in Kasumpti of the city on Tuesday demanded the demolition of a mosque in their area. Locals claimed that the mosque is unauthorized and expressed concern over the increase in the influx of unknown persons and migrants here.

A delegation of locals led by councillor Ranchana Sharma met Shimla Deputy Commissioner Amit Kashyap, Superintendent of Police (SP) Sanjeev Kumar Gandhi and Shimla Municipal Commissioner Bhupendra Atri and submitted a memorandum regarding their demands.

Last Wednesday, 10 people were injured in a clash between the protesters demanding demolition of a part of the mosque and the police in Sanjauli area of ​​Shimla. At the same time, the demand to demolish the encroachment of the mosque in Mandi also became a big issue. The police had to use water cannons against the people who came out on the streets against the encroachment. The people of the mosque side themselves said that they would demolish the illegal construction, after which the matter was settled.

Councillor Ranchana Sharma alleged that the unauthorised structure built by a particular community in Kasumpti has been declared illegal by the Municipal Corporation. This place was never a mosque or a religious place. Now it is being used by people of a particular community, who are gathering here. She claimed that last year the Municipal Corporation Commissioner had also issued orders to demolish this structure, but it has not been demolished yet.

Councillor Sharma claimed that surprisingly, none of these people are permanent residents of Kasumpti market area. There is no clear background, registration or information about the origin and residence of the people who gather here daily.

He said that we respect every religion and do not intend to hurt anyone’s religious sentiments. But, the way this mosque was built and people of a particular community come to the market is a matter of concern. We demand the administration to take appropriate action.