The Aman Sandesh Times
Shimla : Shimla was witness to chaotic scenes today morning as locals clashed with police personnel during a protest march over alleged illegal construction inside a mosque complex in the city.
Visuals from Shimla showed protesters toppling police barricades and security personnel resorting to lathicharge and water cannons to control the crowed. The protesters were heard chanting slogans such as “Himachal Ne Thaana Hai, Devbhoomi Ko Bachana Hai” and “Bharat Mata Ki Jai.”
Police resorted to lathi-charge and the use of water cannons in order to disperse the angry protesters while they were on their way to the mosque.
The march was called to protest against the alleged illegal construction of extra floors in a mosque located in Shimla’s Sanjauli area. Earlier, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had said that while people have the right to protest, they should do so peacefully and without damaging public property.
Sukhu had also said that the issue of the alleged illegal construction at the Sanjauli mosque was being heard by a local municipal court and that law would take its course.
The protesters defied the prohibitory orders issued on Tuesday in the area following escalating tension over the construction the mosque and calls for a shutdown by some Hindu organisations.
