Shimla shops shut over mosque row

Following a call of three-hour shutdown by the Shimla Beopar Mandal, commercial establishments remained closed from 10 am to 1 pm in several parts of the town today. The call for the shutdown was given in support of the people who took out a protest against the “illegal mosque” in Sanjauli on Wednesday.

Beopar Mandal president Sanjeev Thakur alleged that the police used force and lathicharged the protesters during a peaceful demonstration. “Several protesters were injured in the lathicharged. Action should be taken against the Shimla SP for using force against the protesters,” Thakur added.

According to the police, only mild force was used when the protesters tried to break through cordons and pulled down barricades. In the protest, six policemen were injured.

A police personnel was left bleeding profusely from his forehead when he was hit by a stone hurled by a protester. A woman constable was injured while trying to stop the crowd pushing past the barricades.