Shimla Sanjauli Mosque Dispute: Demolition Of Illegal Floors Will Start From Monday

The hearing was held on October 5 in Shimla Commissioner Court which ordered razing of three illegal floors to the ground within two months.

Shimla: The illegal portion of Sanjauli Mosque in Shimla will be razed on Monday after the Waqf Board gave its nod to the mosque committee. For this purpose security arrangements have been beefed up around the edifice.

"The ownership of the land is with the Waqf Board. Therefore, it was necessary to take an NOC before demolishing the illegal part of the mosque. We have got the NOC from the Waqf Board and have called labourers to raze the illegal portion. The process will start from today (Monday). We do not have enough funds to carry out demolition and as soon as the arrangement for the same is done the process will kick in. The mosque committee has informed the Shimla Municipal Corporation Commissioner and other officials concerned about the process," Masjid Committee head Mohammad Latif said.

The hearing for the demolition process was held in Shimla Commissioner Court on October 5 and the court had ordered razing of three illegal floors to the ground within a couple of months. The court had asked the mosque committee to bear the entire cost of demolition.

It is worth noting that on September 12, the mosque committee sought permission from the municipal corporation court for demolition, shifting the next hearing to December 21.

On August 30 this year, a scuffle broke out between two communities in the Malyana area of the city where six people who fled the spot had taken refuge inside the mosque. In protest, Congress councillor Neetu Thakur staged a demonstration outside the mosque complex with hundreds of people which further escalated the issue of illegal construction.

Cabinet Minister in the Sukhu-led government, Aniruddh Singh, raised the issue in the assembly and called the illegal infiltration of Bangladeshis and Rohingyas a threat to the state. Singh furnished documents in the House showing the mosque had been built on government land. The minister revealed in the House that 44 presentations were made regarding the matter in the last 14 years, but no decision was taken. He demanded immediate demolition of the illegal structure which echoed at the national level.

Following Singh's demand, Hindu organizations also staged protests in September 12, which led to clashes between the protesters and the police who had to resort to lathicharge to disperse the agitators. In retaliation, the protesters pelted stones at the police, leading to injuries to both parties. A subsequent FIR was filed on the issue.

The growing controversy and protests prompted the Sanjauli Masjid Committee to demolish the illegal construction. It admitted in the court that illegal floors were constructed in the mosque, seeking permission to demolish on their own. It shot a letter to the Waqf Board seeking permission for demolition.

According to Shimla Municipal Corporation Commissioner Bhupendra Atri, the matter was first raised in 2010 when the mosque committee had erected pillars on the place. A notice followed and the matter dragged on till 2012.

The head of the mosque committee obtained NOC from the Waqf Board, which said the local committee can decide on the construction at its own level after taking the necessary permissions from the corporation. The mosque committee submitted the NOC to the corporation along with the map, which had some shortcomings.

The corporation had instructed the mosque committee to correct the irregularities on the map, but neither the mosque committee nor the Waqf Board gave any updated version. Then disputed floors were constructed between 2015 and 2018. In 2019, a revised notice was served to the mosque committee following another notice to the Waqf Board in July 2023. Former head of the mosque committee, Mohammad Latif, was also served the notice as the NOC was bearing his name.