OPINION | Outsiders in Shimla: CM must take a larger view
Communal tensions erupted in Shimla as thousands of protesters, including BJP supporters, demanded the demolition of an allegedly illegal mosque and the removal of Bangladeshi and Rohingya settlers. Local MLA Aniruddh Singh joined the protests, calling for verification of all outsider vendors.
Shimla, for the first time, witnessed communal tension, with several thousand protesters, belonging to BJP and various Hindu organisations, demanding demolition of a mosque. The protesters, on Thursday, also demanded identification and removal of all illegal Bangladeshi settlers, particularly Rohingya Muslims, who have entered Himachal Pradesh. The protest took political overtones, when Rural Development Minister Aniruddh Singh joined the protest and later appealed to the Chief Minister in the Assembly that a survey should be conducted for verification of all outsider vendors in Shimla.
He alleged that the number of Muslim street vendors in Shimla has already jumped from 190 to 1,900, and that street vending rights should be given only to Himachalis. Local Shimla residents have given a two days’ ultimatum to authorities to demolish the “illegal” mosque. Shimla is, otherwise, a peaceful hill town, but on Thursday, thousands of Hindu protesters came to the streets at the call of Devbhoomi Kshatriya Sangathan.
The protesters alleged that Sanjauli Masjid has become a shelter for outsider migrants. They alleged there has been a jump in the number of crimes like theft, snatchings and eve-teasing. They also alleged that earlier hardly two or four people used to stay in Sanjauli Masjid, but now the number has risen to more than 300. They have also alleged that the mosque has now four floors, bypassing municipal building laws. In Shimla, nobody is allowed to construct any building of more than two and a half floors.
The Sanjauli Masjid is being constructed since last 14 years and the matter is pending in court. Hindu leaders allege that there is a conspiracy afoot to change the demography of Himachal Pradesh. AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, taking a dig at Congress party, asked, “why there is so much hatred towards Muslims in ‘muhabbat ki dukaan’? The matter is in court and Hindu outfits are demanding demolition of the mosque. Congress ministers are speaking the lingo of BJP leaders.” Congress MP from Uttar Pradesh Imran Masood objected to the Himachal Congress minister’s remarks and said he would raise the issue before the party high command.
Masood said, Sanjauli Masjid has been there since 1947, and the matter of illegal construction is now pending in court. Looking at the anger of local residents in Shimla, one thing is clear: the mosque issue is only a trigger point. The main issue relates to people who have started settling from outside. Shimla town was always regarded as a safe city for women, but incidents of eve-teasing and snatchings have now increased.
People have been living in Shimla since generations in an atmosphere of brotherhood. Over the years, Bangladeshis and Rohingya Muslims came and started living in basements of buildings. They have not been properly identified, nor action taken. Had a BJP leader raised this issue, the Congress could have blamed RSS hand behind the protest. The issue has been raised by a local Congress MLA who is a minister in Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu’s government. What minister Aniruddh Singh said in the Assembly should be taken as a warning.
The Chief Minister has spoken about upholding rule of law, but he must understand the sentiments of the people of Shimla. Sukhu himself belongs to Shimla and he understands public sentiments. He should take a larger view of this problem.