Violent protests escalated in Himachal Pradesh’s summer capital Shimla on Wednesday, September 11, leaving six police officers including a female officer who sustained serious vertebrae fractures.
In response to the unrest provoked by right-wing Hindus, Shimla police have released CCTV footage capturing the moment agitated protesters threw stones at police during a demonstration against the alleged illegal construction of a mosque in the area.
The released video shows a huge mob violently resorting to stone pelting after the intensity of the confrontation between them and law enforcement.
According to the police, a First Information Report (FIR) has been registered against eight individuals in connection with the incident.
In Himachal Pradesh, escalating tensions over an alleged illegal mosque have led to widespread protests. Following a significant demonstration in Shimla’s Sanjauli on September 5, Islamophobic rallies also erupted in Mandi district, where protesters voiced strong opposition and raised communally charged slogans against the Muslim community and mosque.
The protests were organised by far-right Hindu bodies, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and residents gathered at Chaura Maidan. The protesters argued that the mosque, which reportedly has four unauthorised floors has been permitted to stand for over a decade without action from local authorities.
As the protestors, who had gathered on the call of Hindu groups, broke the second barricade near the mosque, police resorted to lathi-charge and used water cannons to disperse them.
The Shimla district administration issued prohibitory orders under section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), barring the assembly of more than five people and the carrying of lethal weapons and arms.
The authorities said that the police are now investigating the circumstances surrounding the protest and the actions of those involved. The situation remains tense as police continue to assess the aftermath of the event and ensure law and order.
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