Protest spreads to Nerwa in Shimla, locals take out rally, raise slogans

A Muslim delegation, led by the HPCC Minority Department chairman Iqbal Mohamed, today met AICC Minority Department chairman Imran Pratapgarhi to apprise him of the communal tension in the state. The delegation also met AICC general secretary KC Venugopal.

“We were invited by our national president to discuss the prevailing situation in the state. We discussed the situation in the state and the president reiterated that all efforts should be made to restore peace and harmony in the state,” said Iqbal Mohammed.

He added that Venugopal assured them that no effort would be spared to maintain peace and harmony as there was no space for hate in the Congress-governed states.

Meanwhile, the majority community held a protest at Nerwa in Shimla district where Muslims are living for the past many decades. Locals and people associated with Hindu outfits took out a rally in the market, raising religious slogans.

SP, Shimla, Sanjeev Gandhi said the protest was held without permission. “Besides, some protesters were seen raising provocative slogans and making hate speeches. FIRs would be registered against such people,” said Gandhi.

The police were deployed in a large number to ensure things did not go out of hand. Barring provocative sloganeering and speeches, the protest was largely peaceful.

The leaders of the protesters demanded that “bio-data” of all the migrants should be made available within 10 days. Another speaker, who hails from Bilaspur, said Nerwa was on the border area of the state and hence the antecedents of any migrant coming here should be verified.

Meanwhile, a local Muslim leader said that the ongoing protests were unfortunate, especially after the Muslim community had voluntarily offered to remove the illegal construction in Sanjauli mosque and the government had agreed to constitute a committee to look into the antecedents of the migrants. “Now, these protests seem to be part of a larger political game,” he said.