Historic State-wide protest against the illegal Sanjauli mosque is apolitical

• Kamal Gautam, organiser of the State-wide protest against the mosque in Sanjauli, informs

• Devout Hindus from BJP as well as Congress participate

Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) – “A massive protest was held by Hindus against the illegal Sanjauli mosque in Shimla on 5^thSeptember. At that time, the Government conspired to gather some Hindus and carry out a so-called protest. Whereas in reality, 5,000 to 6,000 Hindus participated in our protest, and hence, the Government’s conspiracy protest was a fiasco,” stated Kamal Gautam, a devout Hindu leader, while talking to ‘Sanatan Prabhat’. He added that this entire movement is apolitical, with devout Hindus from both the Congress and the BJP participating as Hindus in this protest.

The historic state-wide movement against the illegal M@$j!d in Sanjauli (Shimla, Himachal Pradesh) is apolitical. – @kamalgautamhp organizer of the state-wide agitation.

✊ #Hindus from Congress and BJP parties joined the protest.pic.twitter.com/R9dQv3exZA

— Sanatan Prabhat (@SanatanPrabhat) September 22, 2024

Leader of the ongoing State-wide protest against illegal mosques, Kamal Gautam, added :

1. It was decided to hold a decisive protest on 11^thSeptember. At that time, 6 units of 2,000 Police personnel were deployed.

2. Since I was detained then, this protest escalated significantly. Enraged Hindus broke the barricades in front of the mosque.

3. The commitment of ordinary Hindus was evident at that time. All vehicles were stopped 8-10 km away from the mosque, and the entire area seemed like a camp. Despite this, 12,000 to 15,000 Hindus walked to the protest site.

4. Seeing the growing ferocity of the protest, the Police began lathi-charge and also used water cannons against us. This led to calls for a ‘Shima Bandh’ on 11^th and 12^th September, and a State-wide Bandh on 14^thSeptember. The entire Hindu community supported this and observed the Bandh.

5. Due to all these events, a case was registered against me under very stringent sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. A case was also filed against more than 50 other Hindu activists along with me.

6. The protest that began in Shimla further spread to cities like Mandi, Solan, Palampur, Bilaspur, Sunni, and Nerwa. In Solan and Mandi, Hindus even began to demolish illegal mosques. Illegal mosques are present in each of these cities.