The Himachal Pradesh Police on Wednesday used water cannons and baton-charged demonstrators protesting a mosque in Shimla’s Sanjauli area that they claimed was constructed illegally, ANI reported.
The protestors, who were marching towards the mosque, breached the first layer of barricades set up by the police and clashed with the security forces.
On Tuesday, the Shimla district administration issued prohibitory orders in Sanjauli after Hindu organisations called for a protest march against the mosque, PTI reported.
Protests had erupted in Shimla over the legality of the mosque earlier this month.
On September 4, the matter sparked a row in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly when state minister Anirudh Singh and his Congress colleague Harish Janartha argued about the mosque. The Congress is the ruling party in the state.
The next day, workers of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Hindutva organisations and residents organised a march to protest the mosque.
On September 7, the Himachal Waqf Board told a Shimla court that the mosque is its property and that the dispute is about the construction of additional floors, The Indian Express reported.
On Wednesday, members of Hindu organisations assembled in Shimla’s Dhalli area and started marching towards the mosque amid heavy police presence, according to ANI.
State minister Vikramaditya Singh said that the protestors should not disturb the law and order in the area.
“The situation is very clear,” he said. “Everyone has the right to protest peacefully…but there should not arise a situation which would affect the peaceful situation there.”
Vikramaditya Singh, who holds the urban development portfolio, said that the matter pertaining to the mosque’s legal status is sub-judice.
“We [state government] have clearly said that if it is found to be illegal, action will definitely be taken, and it will be demolished,” Singh said. “But that is a step that will be taken once the order of the municipal commissioner comes, it will not be right to take action before that.”
Naresh Chauhan, media advisor to the Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, alleged that the BJP was trying to frame the law and order matter on communal lines, ANI reported.
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