Shimla. The dispute over Sanjauli Mosque in Shimla in Himachal Pradesh has been going on for many years. Due to the Sanjauli Masjid dispute, tension has been seen many times. Now All Himachal Muslim Organization has made a big claim in this regard. The organization held a press conference in Shimla and said that this land is registered in the revenue records in the name of Gair Mumkin Masjid and the mosque is not illegal.
Najakat Hashmi, President of Muslim Organization in Baluganj, Shimla, said that Sanjauli Masjid is recorded in the records from the year 1915 till now. Some wrong facts have been presented regarding the mosque and in the revenue records of 1915, Khasra number 107 Gair Mumkin Masjid is recorded. Moreover, in the revenue records of 1997-98, in Khasra No. 107, Government is recorded in the owner column and Mosque is recorded in Kasht and hence the Mosque is not illegal.
Map was applied to the corporation in 2013
He told that in 2013, the Mosque Committee had applied to the Municipal Corporation to pass the map, but the application was not passed. Permission was also sought to increase the floors of the mosque. He admitted that the upper floors were illegal and had been removed. But now we will apply again to the Commissioner to pass the map of the lower floors.
All Muslims of Himachal should be cautious of Hashmi – Devbhoomi Sangharsh Samiti
On the other hand, after the press conference of President Najakat Ali Hashmi, now Devbhoomi Sangharsh Samiti has also retaliated. Devbhoomi Sangharsh Samiti’s convenor Bharat Bhushan and advocate Jagat Paul said that Nazakat Ali Hashmi has nothing to do with this entire matter. He is neither a party nor a defendant in this case. In such a situation, his telling lies in the press conference is like misleading the public. Devbhoomi Sangharsh Samiti also described Nazakat Ali Hashmi as a person with jihadi mentality. The committee said that Hashmi himself is occupying the Baluganj Mosque, which the Waqf Board could not vacate despite the order of the Supreme Court. Devbhoomi Sangharsh Samiti said that they respect the court. He does not want to comment on the court’s decision, but it is important to explain the background of the case.
He told that according to the Himachal Pradesh Municipal Corporation Act, it is necessary to take permission to demolish any old structure or build a new structure. There is neither any exemption nor any special provision for anyone in the law. In such a situation, the first structure was demolished without permission and despite receiving the notice, a five-storey building was erected. This is completely against the rules. Devbhoomi Sangharsh Samiti hopes that in the past also the decision came against illegal construction and it will be the same in the future also, because the rules were completely ignored in the construction work.
Why was there controversy regarding Sanjauli Masjid?
On August 31, 2024, some Muslim youth from Uttar Pradesh attacked Malyana in Sanjauli, Shimla. Allegations were made that these accused later hid in the mosque. It was from here that the controversy regarding this mosque started and then demonstrations were held in front of the mosque and later the direction of the controversy changed and questions started being raised regarding the entry of people from other states into the mosque. Then questions were raised regarding the construction of the mosque and now the court has also considered the entire mosque illegal. In the last 154 years, more than 50 hearings were held before the Corporation Commissioner regarding the Sanjauli Mosque and the Corporation Court had accepted that the mosque was illegal.
