Shimla/ Himachal Pradesh: Right wing organisations suspended their indefinite hunger strike outside the Sanjauli police station—demanding to seal the disputed Sanjauli mosque sitting around 70 metres from the station—following talks with the local administration, The Indian Express reported.
The Sanjauli mosque, which is declared illegal by courts and marked for demolition, reportedly looked deserted on Friday just as the local administration offered to discuss the protesters’ demands within what the report said ‘the ambit of the law’.
The protesters, led by the Dev Bhoomi Sangharsh Samiti, did not move to the mosque despite partially blocking the traffic as the area saw heavy deployment of police.
As its main gate was bolted from outside, only a few people entered the mosque via a side passage which made protesters to file complaint to police personnel on duty there.
The mosque’s cleric Maulana Shahzad Alam reportedly said that devotees who came to the mosque were directed to another mosque, adding ‘This land belongs to the State Waqf Board. I am a salaried employee here’.
Mohammed Irfan, a resident of Dhalli, told the outlet that he and his friends chose not to go to the Sanjauli mosque for Friday prayers as there are other mosques in Shimla, adding ‘when I contacted office bearers of the mosque committee, they had hinted that we should avoid going’.
A video showed protesters intensifying their demand to seal the mosque and disconnect water and electricity supply after some individuals were seen entering the mosque alongside the video showed district officials interacting with the protesters.
One of the protesters, Vikas Thapta, questioned people entering the mosque, saying ‘When a structure has already been declared illegal, what is the point of performing religious activity there? We have ended our indefinite hunger strike for now, as the administration has assured us that our demands will be discussed on November 29’.
The tension in the area rose after protesters led by Hindu Sangharsh Samiti urged Hindus to boycott good and services provided by members of a community.