In yet another incident highlighting the growing intolerance and hate against minorities, a fresh video captured a movement of Hindu groups and residents in Himachal Pradesh’s Palampur area vandalising shops owned by Muslim traders, demanding the demolition of more mosques in the Mandi and Shimla regions.
In the video that surfaced on social media on Sunday, September 15, the agitated mob provoked by Hindutva members is seen attacking vendors breaking carts into pieces. The action follows a municipal court order to demolish two floors of a mosque in Sanjauli mosque in Shimla.
The Hindu groups encouraged by the recent verdict started further calls for mosque demolitions across the area.
The mob are also heard chanting provocative and inflammatory slogans against Muslims such as “Kathue Mulle Nahi Chalenge,” “Mulle Thulle Nahi Chalenge,” and “Goli Maaro Saalo Ko,Mulle ke dalalo ko, Jhoote maaro salo ko”.
Local BJP leaders and traders in Himachal Pradesh also staged a protest against Muslim traders.
Hindu groups held a protest march in Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi on Friday, September 13, demanding the demolition of an unauthorised portion of a mosque in the town and tried to force their way toward the structure, forcing police to use water cannons to control the situation.
Subsequently, the protests in Mandi erupted just two days after Shimla saw protesters gathered on a call by Hindu groups to clash with security personnel during a demonstration to call for the demolition of an illegal portion of a mosque in the Sanjauli area.
In a series of videos, the protesters are seen raising communally charged slogans such as “Jai Shivaji, Veer Shivaji, Maar Bhagae Mulla Kaazi”.
In another video, the Hindu residents are seen singing “Chamak uthi talwaar Hindu jaago to”.
Amid escalating tensions, a Muslim welfare committee urged the municipal commissioner to seal the unauthorised portion and also offered to demolish it by a court order. The panel comprised the Imam of the mosque members of the Waqf board and the mosque management committee.
“We have sought permission from the Shimla municipal commissioner to demolish the unauthorised part of the mosque situated in Sanjauli,” member of the welfare committee Mufti Mohammad Shafi Kasmi said.
However, such friendly manifestations of Muslims have not ceased Hindu organizations from their endeavours of putting pressure on the government to enforce more stringent rules on the construction of mosques and to conduct more demolitions.
Despite these conciliatory gestures from the Muslim community, Hindu organizations continued their demands and put pressure on the government to enforce more stringent rules on the construction of mosques and to conduct more demolitions across Himachal Pradesh.
The case of unauthorised or illegal construction of some floors in the mosque is being heard by the court of the municipal corporation and the next hearing was fixed on October 5.
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