Chamba traders join bandh call over Sanjauli mosque, shut shops for 2 hrs

In response to a call by the Devbhoomi Sangharsh Samiti and the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), traders in Chamba observed a complete shutdown from 9 am to 11 am on Saturday. The town wore a deserted look as all the markets, except some shops in

the peripheral areas, remained closed.

Members of the Devbhoomi Sangharsh Samiti, VHP, Bajrang Dal and other Hindu organisations gathered at the town’s main square as a symbolic protest, demanding strict action against the “illegal land encroachments and the influx of Muslim settlers, who allegedly hide their identity while arriving in the region”.

VHP state president Keshav Verma and Bajrang Dal’s Ravi Mahajan alleged that Muslims from other states as well as suspected Bangladeshis and Rohingya refugees were settling in Himachal Pradesh under false pretenses, claiming that this threatened the peace and communal harmony in the state.

They emphasised that Himachal Pradesh had always been known for peaceful and harmonious coexistence of communities within the state. However, over the past two decades, there had been a deliberate attempt to alter the state’s demographics, leading to social tensions and conflicts.

The protesters further alleged that a large number of Muslims from Uttar Pradesh’s communally sensitive areas, such as Saharanpur, Meerut, Moradabad, Amroha, Shamli and Bijnor, and from the Terai region of Uttarakhand, were trying to settle permanently in Himachal. This demographic shift, they argue, is causing various problems, including increased crime and social unrest.

The protesters stated that while migration from one state to another is a natural process, the intentional settlement of people from a specific religion in Himachal Pradesh is altering the peaceful character of the state.

They claimed that many Muslims who settle in the state illegally occupy government and private land to build mosques, madrasas and other structures, creating a mafia-like presence. They also alleged that these areas witness frequent cases of harassment and misbehaviour with local women, as well as instances of theft, drug trafficking and violence. “The illegal construction of mosques in areas like Shimla’s Sanjauli and Kasumpti, and Mandi has raised concerns about illegal activities being conducted from these locations, which has sparked protests across the state,” said the VHP state president.

He further said that being a border state, Himachal shares its boundaries with China-occupied Tibet and the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. He argued that the large scale and intentional demographic changes are a serious threat to national security.

The protesters have urged the government to take strict measures, such as dismantling illegal mosques and closely monitoring outsiders coming into the state. They also called for long-term policies to curb criminal activities, drug abuse, illegal land occupation, harassment of local women, tax evasion and security threats, posed by outsiders.

“These steps will help preserve the communal harmony and protect the rights of the local Himachali people,” said one of the protesters.