“Government sympathises with protestors..”: Himachal Minister Vikramaditya Singh over Sanjauli Mosque row

Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], September 11 (ANI): After protests broke out over the alleged illegal construction of a mosque in Sanjauli, Himachal Pradesh Minister Vikramaditya Singh said “government sympathises with protestors” and wants to resolve according to the law.

Speaking to the media, Singh said, “The protest that happened in the Sanjauli area of the state is concerning. The government sympathises with the protestors. We want the issues to be solved, and everything should be done according to the law.”

“This matter has been pending for a long period. As far as the construction of illegal buildings is concerned, the government has taken cognisance of it. I have also strongly said in the assembly that as soon as the decision comes on this within the ambit of law action will be taken, it will be demolished if it is found to be illegal. But we have to move ahead with the process of law. We want an atmosphere of peace to prevail in Himachal Pradesh,” he added further.

Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party MP Anurag Thakur said that there is a need to go into the depths of this issue and find the reasons behind it so that such incidents are prevented in the future.

Emphasizing the need for investigation, Thakur said that it is necessary to find out how it is affecting the demography of the region.

“We need to go into the depths of this issue to find the reasons behind it and how it is affecting local demography. There are serious reasons behind the anger in people there. Such incidents have frequently occurred in the last few years. The need to go in depth to find the reasons is to prevent such incidents in the future,” said BJP MP Anurag Thakur.

Leader of Opposition in Himachal Pradesh Assembly Jairam Thakur slammed the Sukhu government, saying that the state was delaying action against the alleged illegal construction.

“Himachal Pradesh is a peaceful state. There have hardly been any community conflicts here. But, now the situation that has emerged, the government should have taken active measures against it, and people are agitated because of the delay. The sentiments of the Hindus and the local people must be respected… Imposing BNSS 163 is an attempt to suppress the voice of the people… There should be peaceful protests within the limits of the law. I urge the government that if it is an unauthorised construction, then this problem should be solved soon,” Jairam Thakur said.

Earlier on Wednesday, as the protest over the alleged illegal construction of a mosque in the Sanjauli area intensified, police personnel used water cannons and resorted to lathicharge to disperse protestors heading towards the Sanjauli area of Shimla.

Protestors removed the first layer of barricading and clashed with the security forces while entering the Dhalli Tunnel East portal during their protest march. The protests have been called by Hindu organisations over the alleged illegal construction of Sanjauli mosque.