‘Illegal’ mosque issue dominates Himachal Assembly session, CM asked to act swiftly

Shimla: With tensions escalating in Sanjauli over the ongoing dispute regarding the alleged illegal construction of a mosque, Hindu organisations have called for a “chakka jam” protest on Wednesday.

They plan to demonstrate against what they perceive as the state’s failure to address

the issue.

The issue was raised in the state assembly once again with Leader of Opposition Jairam Thakur asking Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu to act promptly in the matter before it flares and becomes a law and order problem.

“The issue must be addressed with utmost seriousness and sensitivity. If the structure is found to be illegal, prompt action should be taken within the legal framework,” he said, emphasising that further delay could impact people’s sentiments.

On the mosque controversy, the CM said: “Himachal has a history of peaceful coexistence. We respect every section of society. Law will take its own course,” he stated.

Replying to an issue raised by Shimla MLA Harish Janartha about the ongoing public outrage against the illegal construction of the mosque, he said: “This is very unfortunate. There is an atmosphere of fear among the people. The atmosphere should be calm. Any migrant coming here should be verified.” He added: “A Cabinet sub-committee or a Vidhan Sabha committee will be constituted to look into the issue as it is the responsibility of both the ruling party and the Opposition to ensure communal harmony in the state,” he said.

Speaker Kuldeep Pathania said any dharna or protest must be dealt with firmly to prevent any law and order problem.

The CM also said that a committee would be constituted to frame a street vendor policy so that licences could be issued only after the verification of antecedents.

Leader of Opposition (LoP) Jai Ram Thakur said: “During the BJP regime, the government had started verification and registration of the outsiders doing business in the town to keep a proper check on them. Any citizen of the country can come to Himachal, but it is worrisome if the antecedents are not verified.”