The demolition of illegally constructed flooring of the Sanjauli mosque in Shimla has commenced, following a courtroom order. On October 5, the Shimla Municipal Court docket directed the elimination of the second, third, and fourth flooring of the mosque, citing unauthorised building. A major police presence has been deployed across the mosque to take care of legislation and order all through the demolition course of.
Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, addressed the problem, highlighting the voluntary cooperation from the Muslim neighborhood. In accordance with information company ANI, he acknowledged, “The individuals of the mosque themselves mentioned that if one thing is unlawful we are going to demolish it, so our brothers from the Muslim neighborhood, the top of the mosque, the Imam, they themselves need it (to be demolished) as it’s unlawful and so they need concord. There isn’t a authorities intervention.”
#WATCH | Shimla: On Sanjauli mosque, Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu says, “The individuals of the mosque themselves mentioned that if one thing is unlawful we are going to demolish it, so our brothers from the Muslim neighborhood, the top of the mosque, the Imam, they themselves need it… pic.twitter.com/d5MCnE6OJu
— ANI (@ANI) October 21, 2024
Mohammad Latif, the Chairman of the Sanjauli Mosque Committee, confirmed that the demolition course of had begun, with the mosque’s roof being eliminated after receiving needed approvals, information company IANS reported. He acknowledged, “It’s going to take two to a few months to demolish your complete unlawful building.” He emphasised that the choice to proceed with the demolition was made to protect “mutual brotherhood and communal concord.”
Permission for the demolition was granted on October 9, and the Shimla Municipal Court docket has allotted two months for the Sanjauli Mosque Committee to finish the demolition at its personal expense.
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Row Over Sanjauli Mosque Demolition In Shimla
The controversy surrounding the Sanjauli mosque has been ongoing for a number of years. Native residents had known as for its demolition, resulting in the primary discover issued by the Shimla Municipal Company in 2011. Regardless of this, the mosque expanded right into a five-storey construction by 2018 with out acquiring needed approvals. In latest months, the Sanjauli Mosque Committee sought authorisation from the Waqf Board—claimed to be the land’s proprietor—to proceed with the demolition. Though the Waqf Board had initially defended the development’s legality, it failed to supply the required documentation to substantiate its claims, IANS reported.
The problem has additionally led to protests by Hindu organisations, demanding the demolition of different allegedly unlawful mosques in Himachal Pradesh. The matter was raised within the Himachal Pradesh Meeting, the place Rural Improvement Minister Anirudh Singh expressed his assist for the mosque’s demolition.
In accordance with IANS, the dispute over the Sanjauli mosque intensified after an incident in Shimla’s Malyana space, the place a Hindu man was allegedly assaulted by six people who reportedly sought refuge in a close-by mosque. This incident triggered protests from Hindu teams, who reiterated their demand for the mosque’s demolition on grounds of unlawful building.
The following courtroom listening to on the matter is scheduled for December 21.