Controversy, Politics and Owaisi's Entry… The Complete Story of Shimla's Sanjauli Mosque

Despite the 15-degree temperature in Himachal Pradesh's capital Shimla, political temperatures are high. The reason is a mosque located at Sanjauli Junction in Shimla. There has been a demand to demolish this controversial mosque since 2010. This demand is made by none other than those sitting in the government. This issue has also gained momentum because the Himachal Pradesh government has a Congress party that talks about secularism and protecting the religious rights of all. Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi has targeted Rahul Gandhi in the mosque controversy. Owaisi says Congress is running a love shop under the guise of Hindutva. In this story, we will understand Sanjauli Masjid and its entire political controversy in detail… First, there is a place in Shimla, the capital city of Himachal. This region is surrounded by two constituencies of Himachal Assembly (Shimla Sadar and Kushumti). There is a mosque at Sanjauli Junction. This mosque, which was earlier a single storey, now has 5 floors. Two things are said about building a mosque. Muslim organizations say that this mosque dates back to 1950. Whereas Hindu organizations claim that it was built in 1996. Muslim organizations have said that a mosque has been built on waqf land. Meanwhile, Minister Anirudh Singh said that the land on which the mosque is built belongs to the Himachal government. Sanjauli Masjid case in court In 2010, the Sanjauli Masjid case went to court. According to local journalist Shantanu Shukla, this is a case of illegal construction. So far 46 investigations have been conducted in this case. The local people associated with the waqf and the mosque are the defendants in the case. In this regard, Government Minister Anirudh Singh said in the assembly: “Though notices were given several times regarding this issue, the mosque did not respond properly. Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sugu has said that action will be taken if no solution is found within 15 days. According to sources, the entire controversy is related to the construction of a mosque. The local administration claims that the 5-storey building has been constructed without permission. Speaking to reporters, Union Minister Anirudh Singh said the issue is not religious. It is a legal and illegal matter. Why and how the mosque became controversial? The story of the controversy started with a fight between two factions. 4 days ago, Yashpal, a local shopkeeper of Sanjauli market was beaten to death by 4 Muslim youths. The beating reportedly left him with 14 stitches on his head. The people of the area were enraged because initially the police did not take strict action against the youths who attacked them. In this regard, the people of the area had been protesting for the past 3 days. People have demanded that a case of attempted murder should be registered against the youth who attacked them. By the time the police reassured the public, the matter had turned political and the mosque had come to the center of the entire controversy. How did the mosque controversy come to politics? Three days ago, when Hindu organizations staged a protest in Sanjauli, some Congress councilors were also present at the protest. Seeing this, Shimla Sadar MLA Harish Janardha was enraged. Janardha said the protesters were from Kushumti and their area was being deliberately disturbed. It is said that Janardha also reprimanded his councilors who objected to this. When Anirudh Singh, a Congress MLA from Kushumdi and a government minister, got information about this, Anirudh took the entire controversy to the Assembly. Anirudh has also demanded that the government should take action in this regard. Three reasons are given for the political tinge in the whole controversy. 1. Anirudh Singh, a friend of Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sugu, is considered a crony of Harish Janardha state president Pradeepa Singh. Pradeepa's son Vikramaditya is an MLA from the constituency adjacent to Janardha. Vikramaditya continues to project an image as a Hindutva leader. He made a statement against the Congress party's stand on Ram temple in Ayodhya. It is said that Anirudh has used this issue as a weapon to defeat each other in internal party politics. 2. Himachal Pradesh has a Hindu population of 95 percent, while Muslims constitute about 2.1 percent. It is also known as Devabhoomi due to Hindu majority. The capital Shimla has a Muslim population of 2.93 percent. Shimla Sadar has a large population of Muslims. The issue of Muslim immigrants has been raised here for a long time. 3. It is said that BJP is also showing seriousness in this matter and this would have increased the problems of the government. Therefore, the government ministers came forward in this matter. Since the minister is coming forward, the BJP has to withdraw from this issue. However, people are definitely against this mosque for BJP. The issue of local government in the mosque dispute also looms large here. This issue has dominated Himachal Pradesh for a long time. Local people say that outsiders are coming and encroaching on our lands. Congress and BJP have raised this issue many times even when they were in opposition. Locals report that unemployment has increased in Himachal Pradesh due to the influx of migrants. According to data from the Himachal Pradesh Economic Survey 2023-24, the number of registered unemployed in Himachal till December 2023 was about 7.5 lakh.