Protest march in Mandi overILLEGAL MOSQUE CONSTRUCTION

 

 

HINDU groups held a protest march in Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi on Friday demanding the demolition of an unauthorised portion of a mosque in the town and tried to force their way towards the structure, forcing police to use water cannons to control the situation. In Mandi, raising slogans of “Jai Shri Ram”, the protesters initially held a march in the Mandi market area and sat on a dharna at Seri manch. Later, they made attempts to proceed towards the mosque but were stopped by police, who used water cannons to disperse them.

 

The management committee of the Jail Road mosque in Mandi was on Friday served a notice by the Municipal Corporation to remove the portion built on encroached land within 30 days. According to the notice, the mosque stands on 232 sq m of land while the approval granted was just for 45 sq m. This came a day after members of the Muslim community demolished an unauthorised portion of the mosque on their own. Members of the Muslim community had on Thursday demolished a portion of the mosque in Mandi, saying it was a wall that was encroaching on Government land. Police, meanwhile, have gathered call details records of people who instigated Wednesday’s protest in Shimlatodemolishanunauthorisedportionofamosque at Sanjauli. On Wednesday, sixpolicepersonnelandfour protestorswereinjuredafter policebatonchargedtheagitators and used water cannons when they broke the barricades and reached the vicinity of the mosque. CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu appealedtothepeopleofthe State to maintain peace and brotherhood. “I appeal to everyone to maintain peace and make no provocative statements.

 

Noone is allowed to take the law into their hands. We respect everyone. The land ofHimachalrespectsallreligions,” Sukhu said after an all-party meeting in Shimla. The protests in Mandi came just two days after Shimla saw protesters gathered on a call by Hindu groups clashing with security personnel during a demonstration to press for the demolition of an illegal portionofthemosqueinthe Sanjauli area. Protests by Hindugroupsagainstthedisputed structure in the SanjaulimosquekeptShimla on the boil since last week. But ades and pelting stones aspoliceusedwatercannons andbatons todispersethem somethingunheard of in the cosmopolitan town. 8 FIRs have been registered against more than 50 people involved in the protests in Shimla, police said.