Public anger came to a boiling point in Shimla, the capital of Himachal Pradesh, on Wednesday, with residents taking to the streets to protest what they said was an unauthorized mosque. Many people, including women, came out on the street, especially in the Dhalli area, and started giving slogans and protesting against the construction of a mosque in the Sanjauli area. It worsened when some of the protestors tried to cross over to the other side of the barricades, where the police were positioned, and this led to clashes. In response to that, the police employed the use of water canon in addition to mild force to disperse the assembly.
This demanded a protest by several Hindu organizations, which again raised controversy since political leaders had given their input on the clashes. According to Naresh Chauhan, Media Advisor to the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, it is win-oriented politics that shows BJP bent on politicizing the issue by portraying the event as a Hindu-Muslim affair rather than an act of lawlessness. He asserted that most of the protestors were BJP workers, saying, “I know these 20-25 people personally. They are BJP workers who have contested elections on BJP tickets”.
Chauhan took the government’s stand, saying that it was not against colonies but against unauthorized structures and this would not be a violent action. It is worth mentioning that the CM has declared that any actions required about unlawful construction will be taken,” he added. He also said that the local people were not supporting the protest and went on to say: “Some BJP workers are raising slogans 2 km away from Sanjauli, they even tried to use social media to get public support, but they have not succeeded, people know the real problem. ”
On the other hand, Jairam Thakur, the Leader of the Opposition in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly, accused the government of incompetence for taking long what he believes to be inadequate action against the alleged corruption and unlawful construction exercise that he says the state government is undertaking and fueling tension in the region. During the events, the government insisted on adherence to the law and that outside forces be watched in the area.
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