The Congress government’s inaction, along with speeches by state ministers that alienated Muslims, escalated the communal violence in Himachal Pradesh last month, according to a fact-finding report by the Association for Protection of Civil Rights.
The fact-finding report titled ‘CREATING THE MUSLIM: OUTSIDER; Hate Speech, Migrant Vulnerability, and Faltering Law & Order in Himachal Pradesh’ criticized the role of Congress leaders in the communal tension in Himachal Pradesh as ineffective.
“In September, Himachal Pradesh witnessed escalating communal tensions sparked by Hindutva groups protesting the Sanjauli mosque in Shimla. The protests turned violent, with clashes between protesters and police resulting in injuries. The controversy centred around the mosque’s construction, deemed unauthorised by Hindutva organisations. Hindutva organisations demanded the mosque’s demolition, citing illegal construction. In response, the Muslim community offered to demolish the unauthorised section voluntarily, in compliance with a court ruling. However, tensions continued to rise and Hindutva groups advocated for the mosque’s complete demolition. The protests took a violent turn on September 11, with protesters clashing with police and attempting to breach barricades in Sanjauli. The Himachal Pradesh government deployed additional security forces to maintain law and order. From Sanjauli, the violent protests against Muslims spread to the entire Himachal including Shimla’s Nerwa and Kasumpti, Mandi, Chamba, Bilaspur, Una, Palampur, and Nagrota Bagwan of Kangra, Hamirpur, Sirmaur and other districts,” read the report.
The report further said: “The role of Congress leaders in the communal tension in Himachal Pradesh has been criticised as ineffective. According to reports, the Congress government failed to address the growing tensions, leading to increased fear within the Muslim community. The situation escalated to the point where protesters clashed with police and shops were vandalised in Mandi, Palampur, Sanjauli, Kullu, and Solan. The fact-finding team visited all these locations.”
The report named two Congress ministers, Vikramaditya Singh and Anirudh Singh, who allegedly made Islamophobic remarks in their speeches.
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