After a series of protests in Sanjauli in Shimla, other towns also witnessed rallies against Muslims and their religious places
Team Clarion
SHIMLA – Hate campaigns against Muslims and mosques have spread to other parts of Himachal Pradesh after Congress minister Anirudh Singh raked up a controversy with remarks about Muslim migrants and the Sanjauli mosque in Shimla.
Speaking in the assembly on 4 September, three-time Congress MLA and Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Singh called Muslim migrants “Rohingya and Bangladeshi infiltrators.”
“People from one community have been living in large numbers in areas like Nahan, Chamba, Paonta Sahib and Kasumpti for a long time. Earlier, no such incidents were reported in the state. But why now? We need to find out the reason. Nowadays, new people are coming into the state. Koi Jamat wale aa rahay hain, jinka koi ata-pata nahin hai. Kya ye Rohingya Musalman hain? (People from a certain Muslim sect are arriving, about whom there is no information. Are these Rohingya Muslims)? I request the respected chief minister to verify them. I know of at least two people who are from Bangladesh,” he said.
Singh also called the mosque located in the Sanjauli area an “illegal structure” and called for its demolition while the matter is sub-judice.
The statement had come after Hindutva outfits led protests against the mosque and the migrants in Shimla. After a series of protests in Sanjauli, other towns also witnessed demonstrations and rallies against Muslims and their religious places.
On Monday, Hindutva outfits and traders’ associations held a march and implemented a bandh demanding the registration of migrants in Solan town. During the protest, shops owned by Muslims were reportedly marked in the presence of the police force. Videos of the incident show a person roaming with brush and red paint and putting cross marks on the shutters of the shops owned by Muslims.
A video of a mob assault on an elderly Muslim man has gone viral on social media. According to reports, the elderly man was standing by amid the ongoing protests. Then, a mob from the protest started beating him up.
Talking about the protest, a protester said: “This rally is being organised to protest against the Muslims who have come here from outside. Migrant Muslims are snatching away the jobs of local people. A normal shopkeeper is not able to sell his merchandise worth Rs 5,000 daily but these shopkeepers are paying Rs 5,000-7,000 rent every day. From where do they get funds? This is our main purpose of the protest.”
The protesters also submitted a memorandum to the deputy commissioner and said persons whose real identity is not known and antecedents not verified would not be allowed to “vitiate the peaceful atmosphere” of the town. The protesters also tried to forcibly close a vegetable shop, leading to tension but police intervened and pacified the agitated protesters.
On Saturday, various Hindu outfits in Himachal Pradesh’s Kullu held a protest against the 50-year-old Jama Masjid in the town. They gathered outside the Muslim place of worship and recited Hindu hymns.
