Now residents flag ‘illegal’ mosque in Shimla’s Kasumpti
The residents alleged that a mosque situated in Kasumpti market was illegal and should be immediately demolished
After the cases of ‘illegal’ mosques came up in Himachal’s Sanjauli, a row has now erupted over a mosque in Shimla’s Kasumpti, which the residents are claiming to have been illegally built.
The residents alleged that a mosque situated in Kasumpti market was illegal and should be immediately demolished.
Kasumpti ward councillor Rachana Sharma said, “We have all the records, this was originally a property of the central government. The demolition orders for this structure were given last year but it has not happened yet. Despite these orders, the religious activities are still going on in the mosque. Many unidentified people come here and their number has increased over the years,” she told the media.
Former deputy mayor Rakesh Sharma said that an MC court had last year ordered its demolition but later an appeal was filed which is pending before the session court. “Earlier it was given on lease for residential purposes and a family lived there but now large numbers of people come here to pray. The structure had only one floor earlier but now more than 2 floors have come up. We met the DC and MC commissioner to submit our demands and requested immediate action,” he said
Archaeological excavation demanded in Mandi
Meanwhile, locals in Mandi have also sought an archaeological excavation of a mosque located at Jail Road, days after a protest was held over an encroached portion of the mosque.
A delegation of a Hindu organisation handed over a memorandum to Mandi deputy commissioner Apoorv Devgan, seeking an archaeological excavation of the site.
They claimed that they have been informed that there used to be a temple there. They demanded that the excavation of that part of the mosque which was encroached on the land of the public works department, which has now been demolished and vacated, should be done under the supervision of the archaeological department.
Last week, at least 10 persons, including six police personnel and four protestors, were injured after the police resorted to baton charges and used water cannons after the agitators broke the barricades and reached the vicinity of the mosque in Shimla’s Sanjauli.
Notably, Hindu organisations have been demanding the demolition of the disputed structure in the mosque and the registration of outsiders coming to the state.