The process to demolish illegal portions of the Sanjauli mosque in Shimla began from the roof on Monday, days after the court of the Shimla municipal commissioner ordered the removal of three unauthorised floors of the controversial structure in Himachal Pradesh.
The court order applies to the second, third and fourth floors of the mosque. The next hearing in this matter is scheduled for December 21. Hindu organisations have been protesting against the unauthorised construction and have demanded the removal of the illegal portions.
The Waqf Board was given two months to carry out the directives on October 5. Sanjauli mosque committee president Muhammad Latif said the board received a copy of the demolition order on October 16.
The mosque committee delegation had submitted a representation offering to demolish the unauthorised floors of the mosque on September 12, a day after 10 people were injured during a protest demanding demolition of a portion.
The Muslim Welfare Committee had given a representation to the MC commissioner asking to seal an unauthorised portion of the mosque and said it will demolish the unauthorised portion. “It was a big decision to offer to demolish the mosque to ensure peace and brotherhood in the state. We spoke to the Waqf Board, the main people of the community in the district, local shopkeepers and others and everyone was of the opinion that peace should prevail,” Latif had said.
But, the Muslim bodies in the state were divided over the decision of the Shimla MC court. The All Himachal Muslim’s Organisation (AHMO) had said they will challenge the order in the court of appellate authority and fight till the Supreme Court.
Earlier, state spokesperson Nazakat Ali Hashmi had said the persons who gave the representation had no authority to make any such submission and the orders are contrary to the facts. He had maintained that the land belonged to the Waqf Board, the mosque is 125 years old and the “unauthorised” storeys are not illegal. The approval of maps is with the authorities but the MC court ordered demolition of the storeys, he had added.
(With PTI inputs)
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