Attacks on Mosques and ‘Muslim Outsider’ Narratives Fuel Communal Tensions in Himachal: APCR Report

A fact-finding report from the “Association For Protection Of Civil Rights” (APCR) pointed towards the mounting upsurge of Islamophobia, communal hate and attacks on the properties of the minority community in the state of Himachal Pradesh. In the remit of incidents that happened in September 2024, the report highlights communal bouts confronted by Muslim residents and workers through “Muslim outsider” narratives which are often used by the majoritarian groups to attack religious properties and snatch work opportunities from the minorities.

Shedding light on linked hate, the report underlines the dogmatisms of Hindu organisations who called out the “demolition of Sanjauli mosque” in Shimla on the name of “illegal construction”, resulting in a mammoth stir-up in the entire state.

Pointing to the role of the right-wing and ruling congress party in escalating the Sanjauli mosque dispute, the report maps out the aftermaths of clashes between police, Muslims and the Hindutva majoritarian masses. After attacks on mosques around Himachal Pradesh, Hindutva mobs also looted shops and houses belonging to the Muslim community in Shimla and Sanjauli, Mandi, Palampur, Kullu and Solan.

APCR’s ground report explains Islamophobia-infused hate speeches and the question of “citizenship” of Muslim vendors, shopkeepers and small businessmen in different cities of Himachal Pradesh where they are asked “to display their IDs” for religious identification. 

APCR found that Himachal is becoming the “focal point” of “communal tensions” where the Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu-led Congress government has “failed” to address and control communalism.  

Attack On Religious Properties Of Muslims In Himachal Pradesh 

In its study, APCR elaborated that in 1940 land was given to the Waqf Board to build the Sanjauli mosque in Shimla as Waqf boards deal with religious property rights of Muslims. But despite being constructed on legitimate land, the Hindutva groups protested and called out for its demolition, citing it “illegal”, resulting in a communal clash across the state in September.

“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”, states the report. 

Responding to the situation, Himachal Pradesh’s Minister of Rural Development Anirudh Singh and congress ally Harish Janartha demanded the “verification of people who live inside the mosque” accusing them of being Bangladeshi and illegal Rohingya refugees after which the situation boiled up like never before. 

In between the CMs’ conference on September 13, which was followed by the declaration of “Himachal Band” on September 14, the fact-check chronicle reveals that even the ruling party and administration defined “peace and harmony” with a polarised, one-sided Hindutva perspective that targets Muslims and minority communities of the state. Therefore, after another protest by far right-wing organisation on 28 September, Shimla Municipal Commissioner (MC) Court ordered the demolition of top-3 floors of the Sanjauli mosque which it categorised as “unauthorised” and the mosque committee only asked for “directions” to demolish the construction properly as per demands.

In this series, a quite similar turmoil took place regarding a mosque at the Jail Road area of Mandi where the Hindutva group demanded “an archaeological excavation” and “demolition” of the mosque, claiming “illegal encroachment” and defining the premises as a bygone temple land. Even here the municipality department cut the water supply in favour of hate goons while the mosque committee clarified that the construction was built with all the required permission and support of the previous police and municipality cooperation. 

By the same token, the Jama Masjid in Kullu’s Akhara Bazar was also targeted where the right-wing organisations claimed that it was illegally constructed on governmental land but in reality, the mosque is registered in governmental records with all the required official documentation. 

APCR inferred that these protests against worship places of the Muslim community happened in September 2024 however, the attacks on the property rights of the minority communities and their lives are not a new issue in the region.  

“Mulle katue nahin chalenge”, “Masjid ko girana hai, Devbhoomi ko bachana hai”, “Bharat mata Ki Jai”, “Jai shri ram”, “Mulle thulle nahi chalenge”, “Mulle thulle, thu thu thu”, “Mulle kaate jaayenge, Ram ram chillayenge”, “Goli maro gaddaron ko” were the common slogans spotted during the communalist Hindutva protests, as per the report.   

 The “Muslim Outsider” Narrative

It’s significant to note that Himachal is regarded as the second largest hub of migrant workers after Delhi with around 2.8% Muslim population as per the 2011 census which makes it easy for the Hindutva forces to “blame Muslims for economic issues and administrative hurdles” of the State. 

The ACPR report underlines the “outsider narrative” that makes it difficult for Muslim workers, labourers, shopkeepers, hawkers and vendors to exist, live and do their respective work. Amid intensified Hindutva protests and hate speeches, their shops and houses were also brutally looted and damaged in several districts of Himachal Pradesh. Migrant workers complained about how they were forced to vacate their homes and leave their work amid a highly insecure communal atmosphere. They were compelled to hide inside to keep safe. 

On the other hand, on September 16 the Himachal Urban Development Minister Vikramaditya Singh stated that “every restaurant and fast food stall in the state will have to display the owner’s ID, like Uttar Pradesh.” 

APCR described that 1000-1200 shops in the Mandi area belong to Muslims, who are either tailors or vendors/labourers. During the communal stir-up, the tailors stopped taking new bookings while many vendors left the region. In these Hindutva rallies, goons also questioned the “character” of Muslim shopkeepers and threatened them to leave. 

Meanwhile in Solan, a Hindutva Vyapar Mandal, along with some right-wing organisations marched in the town to ban “Muslims who have come from outside”, the report highlights. With chanting of “Jai Shree Ram” and “Solan mein rehna hoga, to Jai Shree Ram kehna hoga”, the Hindutva mobs also marked several shops belonging to the Muslim Community to damage them systematically. 

Similarly, several communal protests took place in the main Palampur area where right-wing organisations amassed for power display, vandalized the shops of Muslims and delivered hate speeches. They also raised Hindutva slogans outside the mosque while chanting “Palmpur hum aapka, nahin kisi ke baap ka”, while many volunteers of the raft took oaths not to purchase anything from Muslim vendors. 

The APCR report also points towards how Aadhar Card and governmental documentation are being used for “religious verification” with Hindutva conspiracy theories at hype that intend to damage the Muslims. It mentions ample testimonies from the locals who witnessed the tyranny of growing communalism in the area and were compelled to “hide themselves” to keep safe. 

“While we were reporting in Sanjauli, the police briefly questioned us and inquired about our credentials including our identity cards such as aadhar card, passport and press cards probably on the complaint of Kamal Gautam from Hindu Jagran Manch,” APCR underlined the hurdles faced during reporting in affected areas where Islamophobic population complained “terrorist outfits” which depicts the “normalised stigmas” related to Muslim Identity in the state.