Himachal Pradesh mosque row: Demolition of three storeys starts

The demolition of three unauthorised storeys of the disputed Sanjauli mosque in Shimla commenced on Monday October 21 following permission from the Waqf Board said Muhammad Latif president of the mosques managing committeeThe demolition began with the removal of the roof under tight police security Latif told PTI on Monday evening The Waqf Board has granted the permission and allowed us to go ahead following which labourers were called and work to open the roof started today he addedAfter receiving the October 5 order from the Municipal Commissioner MC Court which directed the Waqf Board and the president of the Sanjauli Mosque Committee to demolish three storeys of the fivestorey disputed structure in Himachal Pradesh the information was communicated to the Waqf Board which subsequently gave the goahead Latif told reporters on MondayAccording to the MC Court order the Waqf Board and the mosque committee president are required to demolish the unauthorised portion of the mosque within two months at their own expense news agency PTI reportedFunding is the main issue as neither the public nor the government will provide money to demolish the structure and the mosque committee has to bear the expenses from its limited resources said Latif who was part of the delegation that submitted a representation offering to demolish the unauthorised floors on September 12 a day after 10 people were injured in Himachal Pradesh during a protest demanding the demolition of part of the mosqueChief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu stated that this is perhaps the first example in the state where members of the Muslim community has taken the initiative to demolish the unauthorised mosque to maintain peace He emphasised that people of all religions coexist in Himachal Pradesh with respect and have the right to work in the stateDecided to offer to raze mosque to ensure peaceHimachal Pradesh Public Works Minister Vikramaditya Singh welcomed the Sanjauli Mosque Committees decision to begin the demolition process stating It is a good gesture on the part of the mosque committee to abide by the decision of the Municipal Commissioners court and voluntarily pull down the unauthorised portions He added that this move would help maintain social harmony and portray the state positively which is crucial for attracting tourists as tourism is a mainstay of the statersquos economyThe government is responsible to 70 lakh people to maintain social harmony and ensure that no activity disturbing social harmony is permitted he noted adding that the mosque committees decision was a significant step in this directionWhen Latif was asked about the announcement from the All Himachal Muslims Organisation AHMO regarding their intention to challenge the order in the appellate authority and possibly escalate the matter to the Supreme Court he responded We cannot stop anybody from going to court but we have taken a big decision to offer to demolish the mosque to ensure peace and brotherhood in the state and we stand by our stanceEarlier AHMO state spokesperson Nazakat Ali Hashmi had stated that those who submitted the representation lacked the authority to do so asserting that the MC Courts orders were contrary to the facts stated PTI He maintained that the land belonged to the Waqf Board the mosque is 125 years old and the storeys are not illegal noting that the approval of maps is pending with the authorities yet the MC Court ordered the demolition of the storeysWith PTI inputs