Shimla
Shimla Vyapar Mandal has opposed the Baton Charge ( lathi-charge) that took place during the violent protest by Hindu organizations on Wednesday against the alleged illegal construction of the mosque located in Sanjauli, Shimla district. On the call of Shimla Vyapar Mandal, the markets in Shimla city have been closed for half a day from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm. The rally to oppose the Lathicharge was taken out by the Vyapar Mandal from Sher-e-Punjab to the DC office. Many shopkeepers and people in the city participated in the protest.
Hindu organisations staged a fierce protest on Wednesday against the alleged illegal construction of a mosque in Shimla. Despite the administration imposing Section 163, a crowd of thousands gathered in Sanjauli and the protesters remained adamant for about six hours demanding the demolition of the mosque. The police had to lathi-charge twice to control the angry crowd. Water cannons were also used. 12 people including 6 police personnel were injured during the police lathi-charge, scuffle and stone pelting. Dozens of people also suffered minor injuries. The police had put up barricades to stop the protesters, but the angry people broke the barricades as well.
After this, when the crowd reached just 50 meters from the mosque, the situation became more tense due to pushing and shoving while trying to break the second barricade. Meanwhile, the police lathi-charged the crowd. During this, an attempt was also made to control the crowd by using strong water jets with the help of fire engines. The police lathi-charged twice from the demonstration that started at 9:00 in the morning till 3:30 in the afternoon. Despite this, the crowd of people was not ready to move away. Many times, the police appeared helpless in front of the protesters.
