On Tuesday, various Hindutva organizations held a protest rally to demand demolition of a mosque on Jail road in Mandi, Himachal Pradesh. Accusing the mosque of being an illegal encroachment, different members marched from Seri Manch towards the premises amidst communal slogans of ‘Jai shree ram’, ‘bantenge to katenge’, ‘ek hain to safe hai’ and other hateful slurs.
Addressing the masses, Hindutva leader Kamal Gautam alleged that illegal migrants (Muslims) are expanding their businesses in Hindu areas like Mandi and they don’t pay taxes. He requested authorities to investigate financial resources, disrupt small businesses and abolish the mosque over bogus suspicion of illegal funding and infringement.
The protest was held by ‘Chhoti Kashi Sangarh Samiti’ that is organized to protect alleged purity of the city from Muslims who are often mistreated and labeled as infiltrators or outsiders. During the 3-hour protest, several serial hate offenders joined in. Yati Satyadevanand Sarswati from Bhartiya Sant Parishad also arrived to provoke the ongoing tensions. They criticized the administration for not working as per desired roadmaps of right-wing ultimatum.
Along with use of abusive language and derogatory communal words, Hindutva groups also targeted current Waqf Board hullabaloo with furious H-pop songs in the background.
This story was originally published in theobserverpost.com. Read the full story here.
