Protest against mosque in Uttarkashi turns violent; police say structure is legal

Uttarkashi: An association of right-wing groups held a protest march in Uttarkashi on Thursday, raising concerns about the legality of a mosque, resulting in a fight and stone-throwing that injured several persons, including police officers.

According to a senior police officer, the mosque was lawfully constructed on property that belonged to Muslims in the town of Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand. On Thursday, protesters calling for the mosque's demolition marched under the banner of the Sanyukt Sanatan Dharm Rakshak Sangh.

Uttarkashi SP Amit Srivastava said, “The incident took place at around 2.30 pm. The route of the protest was already decided and barricading was set. However, the protesters demanded to go to a different side (towards the mosque). They demanded that we open the barriers, and when that was not done, they got agitated. There was a scuffle and stone pelting, and we tried to disperse the crowd.”

An RTI application had been submitted earlier this year seeking the mosque's legality. The administration replied that they lacked the necessary documents. After this, a memorandum calling for the mosque's demolition was delivered to the Uttarkashi District Magistrate.

Several members of right-wing organisations demanded the demolition of the mosque during a sit-in protest outside the DM's office on September 6. They threatened to demolish the mosque themselves if their demand wasn't honoured, and they gave the administration a three-day ultimatum.

On September 9, DM Meherban Singh Bisht received another memorandum from the Sanyukt Sanatan Dharm Rakshak Sangh, a coalition of various groups, demanding that the mosque be razed because it was not registered in revenue records.

A committee headed by SDM Bhatwari was then established by the DM to look into the situation. Because the mosque does not occupy government territory, the committee upheld its legality.

“Some right-wing organisations had given a memorandum to the administration claiming that it is an illegal mosque. As per our records, it is built on registered land and it is not illegal. It is registered in the names of four people. The administration has conveyed the same to these organisations,” said SP Srivastava.

The committee's findings were rejected by the Sanyukt Sanatan Dharm Rakshak Sangh, which insisted that the mosque should be demolished because it was illegal. The protest on Thursday followed the umbrella group's request for and approval of a protest rally. They were allowed to start the rally at Hanuman Chowk's Shri Dev Suman Manch, go through Kali Kamli Dharamshala's main market, and end at the Bhatwadi Taxi Stand Ramlila Ground.

The rally was subject to a number of restrictions, such as following the Supreme Court's rules about the use of DJ sound systems, ban from using weapons, adhering to the scheduled period (11 am to 12 pm), and refraining from making controversial statements.