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Tensions have been rising in Himachal Pradesh over the construction of a mosque in Shimla’s Sanjauli. (Image: @AbdulKh10143143/X)
Rural Development Minister Anirudh Singh questioned why the issue had been overlooked for so long, asserting, “Illegal is illegal, whether it’s a temple or a mosque”
A massive protest erupted outside the Sanjauli Masjid in Himachal Pradesh’s Shimla with members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), various Hindu organisations, and local residents demanding the demolition of what they allege to be an “illegal” mosque.
Ankush Chauhan, a BJP worker at the protest, called the mosque’s construction as illegal, stating, “This mosque has been built illegally. The four floors of the mosque are illegal. If we construct anything illegally, it is immediately demolished. It has been 10 years, but no action has been taken on the mosque. This illegal mosque should be demolished.”
#WATCH | Himachal Pradesh: A protestor says “This mosque has been built illegally. The four floors of the mosque are illegal. If we construct anything illegally, it is immediately demolished. It has been 10 years, but no action has been taken on the mosque. This illegal mosque… pic.twitter.com/WpNbicJCSF— ANI (@ANI) September 5, 2024
The controversy over the mosque intensified on Wednesday after a heated debate in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly, where Congress leaders Anirudh Singh and Harish Janartha clashed over the mosque’s legality.
Janartha had argued that there was no tension in the area and claimed that the mosque, built before 1960, had three additional stories constructed illegally in 2010 on Waqf Board land.
He added that not only outsiders but local Muslims were living in the mosque, and that illegally constructed toilets had been demolished. Janartha accused certain elements of exacerbating the issue.
‘Action Not Against Community, But Illegal Construction’
In response, Rural Development Minister Anirudh Singh stated that the number of Muslim Tehbazaris was not 190 but 1,900, asserting that Tehbazari (licence to hawk) permission should be granted only to bona fide Himachalis, with permissions given to outsiders being cancelled.
In an interview with CNN-News18, Rural Development Minister Anirudh Singh addressed the issue, stating that the councillors will soon pass a bill for the verification of all vendors operating in the state. He also noted that any illegal construction will be “demolished according to the law”.
He questioned why the issue was overlooked for so long, asserting, “Illegal is illegal, whether it’s a temple or a mosque.”
“We’ve urged the Chief Minister to maintain records of illegal immigrants and to verify their police backgrounds, whether they’re coming from Pakistan, Bangladesh, or even within India. If these individuals are arriving from outside, we must understand what criminal activities they might be involved in,” the minister stated.
Singh also said that the action was not being taken against any particular community. “This action is not being taken against any one community. It is against illegal construction,” he said.
Singh, however, said that ‘all communities’ are welcome in the state. He further added that there is an ‘illegal Bangladeshi migrant’ issue in Himachal Pradesh and the government is looking into it.
