Number of mosques in Himachal Pradesh increases from 393 prior to Covid-19 pandemic to over 550 currently

• Prominent Hindu leader Kamal Gautam tells Sanatan Prabhat

• Several mosques built illegally

Devout Hindu leader Kamal Gautam

Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) – ‘The situation in Himachal Pradesh is extremely critical. It’s not just the issue of the Sanjauli mosque in the capital Shimla; there are many illegal mosques erected throughout the State’, Kamal Gautam, a prominent Hindu leader and former General Secretary of the Hindu Jagran Manch, said. In a recent phone interview with Sanatan Prabhat, he expressed these views. Gautam, a former Government teacher, is currently leading a State-wide movement against mosques. He noted that during the Covid-19 pandemic, a significant number of illegal mosques were constructed in the State. Before the pandemic, there were 393 mosques; that number has since increased to over 550. We have data on the number of mosques by District, which Gautam provided to Sanatan Prabhat.

Former General Secretary of the Hindu Jagran Manch, Kamal Gautam, further said

1. In recent years, we devout Hindus have rescued and safely brought home 900 Hindu girls who were trapped by love jihad incidents in the State.

2. We have started implementing ‘RTT Abhiyan’. It means – ‘Roko, toko, thoko Abhiyan’. This means that if any Muslim or Rohingya is found approaching any village in the State, they should be stopped. If they do not listen, they should be heckled and discouraged from entering the village. If they still do not listen, they should be thrashed. Some incidents also happened in this regard, and a couple of complaints have been registered against me.

3. Our next step is ‘Janata NRC’ (National Register of Citizens). This has also started, and boards are being put up at the entrance of many villages in Himachal Pradesh stating barred entry for Muslims and Rohingyas from outside. We have been forced to take this step to protect the dignity of our mothers and sisters.

It is divine grace to have such a large organisation : Kamal Gautam

Gautam further said, ‘Now I do not work for any organisation. Being in an organisation has limits to work. We remain narrow. Now I belong to the entire Hindu community. By divine inspiration, a large organisation has stood up in the State today. It is God’s grace to have Hindus united on such a large scale’.

How did lakhs of Hindus united in Himachal Pradesh ?

Today the common Hindus all over India are asleep. Wherever the Hindus are attacked, there is no organised response from the Hindus. When Gautam was asked how he managed to form such a large and comprehensive organisation in the State, he said that due to my sacrifice, the Hindus in the State were greatly affected. I was suspended from my Government school job for 11 months because I was doing various works related to the betterment of Hinduism. An incident took place in July 2023 in which some Muslims killed a Hindu youth named Manohar. I strongly condemned it and staged protests at many places. All these protests were led by me. Following that, I was permanently dismissed from the Government job. This awakened the Hindus in the State and led to the formation of a large organisation today. I believe that all this was possible only due to divine inspiration, Gautam said.

Editorial Perspective

This is an attempt by Muslims to assert control over States in India. The construction of illegal mosques cannot occur without support from Government and administrative levels. Therefore, strict action must be taken against those responsible.