Sanjauli mosque row: Protest and hunger strike until death called off after ‘demands met’

Devbhoomi Sangharsh Samiti, which had demanded immediate sealing of the Sanjauli mosque, which was declared illegal by the court, called off its protests on Friday and said its demands were met by the administration.

The mosque is located in the suburbs of Shimla town.

Hindu Raksha President Manch Kamal Gautam said that talks with the authorities have been ongoing since Thursday night and they have accepted all our demands.
Gautam said that the demands include immediate closure of the mosque, disconnection of electricity and water supply and removal of the FIR against people who tried to prevent Muslims from praying in the mosque last Friday, adding that some of the demands will be addressed immediately while others will take time.

An eight-member committee of the Samiti will meet the additional district magistrate of Shimla on November 29 due to some legal formalities. However, he said that the hunger strike will continue until the problem is resolved.

The Samiti had on Wednesday called for a massive protest in Sanjauli on Friday and warned that people would not be allowed to offer prayers at the illegal mosque. Members called on citizens not to send their children to schools so that children do not suffer from the action, and also stated that they will not go near the mosque and will not damage the structure. Samiti members have been on a hunger strike until death for the last 4 days for their demands. Last Friday, Samiti members prevented some Muslims from praying in the mosque, and as the argument escalated, some of them returned without praying.

Thereupon, the local police filed a lawsuit against six people for allegedly hurting religious sentiments.

However, Samiti members argued that the mosque had been declared illegal by the court and therefore prayers should not be performed as it was “controversial and illegal in nature”. On October 30, the Shimla District Court upheld the Shimla Municipal Commissioner Court’s decision to demolish the mosque.

“The court has ordered the demolition of the illegal structure, but this has not been done yet. Instead of disconnecting the electricity and water connections of the mosque, members of the Samiti are being harassed and cases are being filed against them,” said Sharma.