When the situation is coming to normal after a restive month-long protest over the Sanjauli mosque in Shimla, which agreed to demolish illegally built floors, a pro-Hindu group comes up with a divisive idea, urging vegetable vendors to display placards reading 'Sanatan Sabji Wala.’
Viewed as an attempt to keep tensions simmering, the Devbhoomi Sangharsh Samiti (DSS), a pro-Hindu group, says it was meant to distinguish local sellers from outsiders and to exclude vendors from other states, whom they accuse of disturbing the peace in the area, The Indian Express reported.
In collaboration with the Civil Society Group, Sanjauli, the DSS distributed the placards among vegetable sellers, encouraging them to display the signs. However, according to sources, several sellers removed the placards after DSS and Civil Society Group members left the market.
Sanjauli, located 7km from Shimla, has been the centre of tensions, particularly following violent protests on September 11 that demanded the demolition of an alleged illegal mosque. The protests resulted in heavy police deployment and the registration of over 15 FIRs against various groups, including members of the BJP, Vishwa Hindu Parishad, and DSS.
The DSS’s latest action is seen as part of ongoing efforts to exert pressure on the authorities and the local community regarding the mosque controversy.