By Syed Ali Mujtaba
The Muslim group in Shimla has urged the municipal authorities to seal the unauthorized portion of the Sanjauli mosque and offered to demolish it once the court delivered a verdict on the matter. With this gesture, the contentious dispute over the extra-constructed floors of the mosque in the Sanjauli area in Shimla seems to have ended.
At the heart of the dispute is a five-story mosque in the Sanjauli area, which some Hindu organizations claim was constructed illegally. The controversy has its roots in accusations that the mosque’s expansion from a single floor to five stories was carried out without proper authorization.
The Hindu group argues that such unauthorized constructions threaten the local demographic balance and has called for an investigation into the backgrounds of local Muslims, suspecting that some may be illegal immigrants from Myanmar or Bangladesh.
The Muslim group says that the original construction of the mosque dates back to 1947. Since there was an increase in the attendance of the worshipers, additional floors were built. The Waqf Board claims ownership of the land and argues that the extended construction carried out on the top of the first floor of the mosque is in line with the rules.
The dispute dates back to 2010 when a case was registered regarding the raising of illegal construction in the mosque. Since then, four floors have been added to the single-story structure, with the extended construction taking place under successive governments.
The Shimla Municipal Corporation has been actively involved in addressing the issue. The municipal court recently heard the matter and during the hearing, the court questioned the Waqf Board and the mosque committee to explain how the original single floor of the mosque expanded to four floors.
The court criticized the Waqf Board for lacking the necessary legal approvals for the extended construction. This case is scheduled for the next hearing on October 5.
Seeing the escalating tension, the local Muslim welfare committee submitted a memorandum to the municipal commissioner, urging him to seal the unauthorized portion of the structure and offered to demolish it once the court delivered a verdict on the matter.
Bhupender Kumar Attri, Municipal Commissioner, Shimla, said; “The matter is sub-judice and pending in court. If one party is willing to not use the portion of a structure in question and offers to seal it, the authorities can act on it till the outcome of the pending case in the court of law. I am going through the contents of the memorandum,” he added.
Meanwhile, members of the Dev Bhoomi Sangharsh Samiti, who are spearheading the protest, welcomed the Muslim gesture. “We welcome this initiative from the Muslim community and would be the first to embrace them for taking such a step in the larger interest,” Vijay Sharma, a member of the Samiti, said.