Hindu outfits take out rally in Himachal, want Waqf Board scrapped
Protesters accuse the Congress government in the state of procrastinating over the Sanjauli mosque issue.
Hundreds of people took out a rally in Hamirpur on Saturday under the banner of Devbhoomi Sangharsh Samiti, demanding abolishing the Waqf Board and verifying the identification documents of migrants to the state.
Protests were also held in other districts, including Shimla. In Hamirpur, led by Surjeet Singh, the district president of the Devbhoomi Sangharsh Samiti and Ashish Sharma, the district chief of Bajrang Dal, the procession passed was attended by several people who waved saffron flags and banners.
They also accused the Congress government in the state of procrastinating over the Sanjauli mosque issue. Hindu groups and locals have been demanding the demolition of an unauthorised portion of the mosque in Sanjauli. At least 10 people had sustained injuries during protests on September 11, a day after the Muslim community urged the municipal commissioner to seal the unauthorised portion and also offered to demolish it in accordance with a court order.
It was followed by a massive protest in Mandi on September 13, where locals demanded the demolition of a portion of a mosque built on encroached government land, which has been found illegal and has been served a notice to bring the structure in its original form.
Police personnel were deployed in large numbers in Hamirpur to maintain law and order while shops owned by members of a minority religious community remained closed. Leaders of the Sangharsh Samiti submitted a memorandum to the local administration demanding that the Waqf Board be abolished and identification documents of migrants be checked.
Addressing the rally, the leaders of the organisation demanded that a proposal to check the documents of migrants to Himachal Pradesh be passed in the gram sabha meetings slated to be held across the state on October 2.
The case of unauthorised or illegal construction of some floors at Sanjauli mosque is being heard by the court of the municipal corporation and the next hearing was fixed on October 5.
Leaders of the Devbhoomi Sangharsh Samiti warned the government not to take the issue lightly and help Hindus live peacefully in the state “rather than helping outsiders without valid documents”.
The mosque dispute and the issue of unverified migrant workers had also rocked the recently concluded monsoon session of the Himachal assembly. The communal flare-up which has been going on in the state for nearly a month now, started on August 31 when a local businessman in Malyana area, which is near Sanjauli, in Shimla was allegedly assaulted by some people from Muslim community. Afterwards the local community demanded the demolition of the mosque in Sanjauli. Later, a protest was staged at Chaura Maidan in the vicinity of the Vidhan Sabha, demanding demolition of an “illegal” mosque in Sanjauli.
Professor Harish Kumar Thakur of the Himachal Pradesh University’s political science department said, “Since religious issues are quite sensitive, the government and the administration have to act judiciously and as per the directions of the court since the matter is sub-judice.”