Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], September 11 : The controversy over the alleged illegal mosque in Shimla's Sanjauli refuses to subside, as Hindu organisations on Thursday staged a symbolic protest outside the disputed site and performed a ritual "half pind-daan" to mark the first anniversary of last year's agitation that was met with police lathi-charge.
The protest was organised under the banner of Dev Bhoomi Sangharsh Samiti, which declared the day as "Sanatan Shaurya-Smriti evam Pratikar Diwas" (Day of Sanatan Valour, Remembrance, and Resistance).
Speaking to reporters, Vijay Sharma, co-convener of the Samiti, said the district administration was "still nervous after last year's movement," and had permitted only 11 people to hold the dharna this time under the Disaster Management Act.
"Halfway to the Sanjauli cremation ground, at a time when the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu government has completed half its tenure and the illegal mosque remains half-demolished, we have performed shraddh with half pind-daan so that the opponents of Sanatan Dharma receive only partial liberation," Sharma stated.
Madan Thakur, also a co-convener of the Samiti, alleged that despite the Municipal Corporation Court's orders, the Waqf Board had approached higher courts to stall action against the mosque.
"This is not right. Hindus have united, and the movement against those opposing Sanatan Dharma will continue. Today, only 11 of us were permitted to protest, but the strength of 11 will multiply many times, and the flag of Hindutva will soar high. If the government does not wake up in time, the consequences could be more disastrous than in Nepal," Thakur warned.
The protestors reiterated their demand for immediate demolition of what they called the "unauthorised structure" and vowed to keep the agitation alive until action was taken.
The Sanjauli mosque row, which erupted last year, had witnessed a major confrontation between police and protestors, culminating in baton charges. Hindu groups have since been marking the anniversary as a reminder of what they describe as "suppression of their voice" and "failure of the state government to act."