A day after Hindus protested against the ‘illegal’ mosque in Himachal Pradesh’s capital Shimla, members of the Muslim committee met Municipal Commissioner Bhupender Kumar Attri on Thursday and were urged to demolish the concerned part themselves if the court orders so.
Shaizad Alam, Imam, Sanjauli Mosque on Thursday said that they will demolish the alleged illegal construction of a mosque in Sanjauli to maintain harmony and for this, they have also given an application to the Municipal Commissioner of Shimla.
“We gave this application because…all the people of Himachal Pradesh have been living in harmony for decades. We want to stay in harmony and love in the future as well. It shouldn’t be given a political angle… so we gave this application that we will demolish that part ourselves…we are not doing it under any pressure, we have only pressure that is to maintain the harmony,” Shaizad said.
After meeting the Commissioner, Mufti Mohammed Shafi Kasmi, Imam Jama Masjid Mosque said that brotherhood between the communities is a huge requirement in Himachal and to maintain this, they are ready to remove the illegal portion of the mosque.
“We have said in it (memorandum) that, in this area, there is a huge requirement of brotherhood (between communities) in this border state. We have always lived here in harmony, so to maintain… if a portion (of Mosque) is illegal, let us know and we are ready to remove it ourselves,” Kasmi told ANI.
Meanwhile, Shimla Beopar Mandal called a bandh between 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. on Thursday against the use of force by the police on the Hindu protestors during the protest march on Wednesday.
All shops in the city and other suburbs were closed during the period. A march by the traders from the Lower Bazar area to the District Collector’s office was also held.
Vinod Lakhanpal, one of the protestors, said that the protest was carried out against the lathi charge that was used on the people.
Earlier on Wednesday, as the protest over the alleged illegal construction of a mosque in the Sanjauli area intensified, police personnel used water cannons and resorted to lathi-charge to disperse protestors heading towards the Sanjauli area of Shimla.
Protestors removed the first layer of barricading and clashed with the security forces while entering the Dhalli Tunnel East portal during their protest march. The protests were called by Hindu organisations over the alleged illegal construction of Sanjauli Mosque.
