Heavy security was deployed near the Ram Leela maidan in Uttarkashi on Sunday morning as people started arriving for a ‘mahapanchayat’ called by Hindutva groups to push for their demand to demolish a decades-old mosque that they claim was built illegally.
The mahapanchayat is set to be held later on Sunday after the Uttarkashi district administration gave it the go-ahead. This comes days after the Uttarakhand government on Wednesday informed the High Court that no permission had been granted for the event. The next court hearing on the matter was scheduled for December 5.
Protesters affiliated with groups such as the Sanyukt Sanatan Dharm Raksha Sangh and Vishwa Hindu Parishad demanded the mosque’s demolition, delivering speeches that the petitioners termed hateful. (Express photo)
The district administration granted permission for the mahapanchayat with several conditions, including not making hate speech, not taking out rallies, not obstructing traffic, not inciting religious sentiments, and maintaining peace.
On Saturday night, police teams took stock of the preparations. Posters that said “Chalo Uttarkashi” have been installed at different locations in and around the ground.
On Wednesday, then Uttarkashi SP Amit Srivastava had told The Indian Express that personnel were deployed around the mosque to maintain law and order and that the mahapanchayat would not be allowed to be held in a public space. Srivastava was transferred the same day.
This story was originally published in indianexpress.com. Read the full story here.
