A row erupted in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly on Wednesday after state minister Anirudh Singh and his Congress party colleague Harish Janartha argued about an allegedly illegal mosque in Shimla’s Sanjauli area, PTI reported.
The Congress is the ruling party in the state.
Over the past few days, protests have broken out in Sanjauli regarding the legality of the mosque.
On Thursday, Bharatiya Janata Party workers, Hindutva organisations and residents organised a march to protest the mosque’s “illegal” construction, The Times of India reported.
A court is set to hear the matter on September 7.
On Wednesday, Janartha moved a motion in the Assembly to discuss the alleged illegal construction, PTI reported.
The Congress MLA claimed that there were no communal tensions in the area. He claimed that the mosque had been constructed before 1960 and that three additional storeys had been added to the structure illegally in 2010, on land belonging to the Waqf board.
A Waqf board supervises the philanthropic endowments made by citizens – mostly Muslims – for religious reasons.
Janartha added that local Muslims, along with a few from outside the state, were living in the mosque.
However, Singh, who is the state’s rural development minister, alleged that persons of Bangladeshi origin were living in the mosque and demanded that their identities be verified.
He also said that the alleged illegal construction of the mosque had stoked communal tensions in the area.
Singh asked if permission had been taken from the administration before opening the mosque. “They started the construction without approval,” he said. “It was an illegal structure. First, one floor was built, then the rest followed.”
Singh added: “They have a habit of engaging in illegal activities. They built a five-storey mosque. This entire matter should be investigated.” He did not clarify who exactly he was referring to.
Singh also claimed that incidents of theft were on the rise in the area. “It has become difficult for women to walk in the Sanjauli market,” he said. “‘Love jihad’ is another serious issue that needs attention and is dangerous for our country and state. Fights are taking place.”
“Love jihad” is a Hindutva conspiracy theory that Muslim men lure Hindu women into romantic relationships to convert them to Islam. The Union home ministry has told Parliament that Indian law has no provision defining such a term.
The minister’s comments were met with protests from his party colleagues.
Congress MLA and state minister Vikramaditya Singh said that the matter should not be politicised and said that Himachal Pradesh has a history of inclusivity, India Today reported. “We must proceed with caution on this issue,” he said. “We respect everyone’s sentiments and will act with justice.”
He said that the state government would act in accordance with the law. “Our state is devbhoomi [land of the gods]… Politics should not be played in the name of religion.”
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that persons belonging to all religions were respected in the state, India Today reported. “Strict action will be taken against those who take the law into their own hands,” he added.
“The reasons that led to this situation are being investigated,” he said. “Every person coming to Himachal Pradesh is bound by the law, and the citizens of the state are equally bound by it…Peaceful protests will be respected, but no one will be allowed to disrupt law and order in the state.”