Who is Mohammad Salim? Man behind the illegal Sanjauli mosque and the conspiracy to alter the area’s demography: Hindu victims share their ordeal with OpIndia

Shimla’s Sanjauli is in the news once again and the reason is a giant, five-story illegal mosque. The history of the mosque dates back nearly 30 years, when a controversy erupted immediately after it came into existence. The illegal mosque stands in contrast with the majority Hindu population in the area. A large number of Muslim immigrants come to offer prayers in the multi-storey mosque.

For political gains, the Congress government in the state overlooked the construction of the illegal mosque in a Hindu majority area. Initially, only one room was constructed and gradually the entire five-story mosque was erected. Municipal corporation records show the mosque as an illegal construction. Subsequently, the state goverment ordered the demolition of the mosque, but the order was stayed.

Hindus of Sanjauli have lost all patience due to the stay order and prolonged legal proceedings. As a result, the Hindu Sangharsh Samiti has launched protests against the illegal mosque.The Samiti had demanded that the water and power supply to the mosque should be cut off. The Municipal Corporation had assured the Samiti that the power and water supply will be cut off as demanded by them, however, no action has been taken so far.

A stage for the Hindu protestors has been set up near the Sanjauli police station. Days are warmer, but the temperature drops to 3 to 4 degree celcius at night, but Hindu protestors, disappointed with the Himachal Congress government and the local administration, are not willing to budge.

OpIndia spoke exclusively with members of the Hindu community who were protesting and listened to their concerns. According to Kamal Gautam, a member of the committee, the matter caught public attention on August 30, 2024, when a group of 5-6 Muslim immigrants assaulted a local youth and injured his head. The accused were sheltered in a mosque, from where they were nabbed by the police. Incidents like this have exhausted the patience of local Hindus. The peace of the hills has been plagued by rising crime committed by the Muslim immigrants. The illegal mosque in Sanjauli has become a haven for such criminals.

Conspiracy to change demographics

OpIndia spoke to Vijay Sharma, a local who is taking part in the ongoing protests. Sharma said that the number of people coming to Himachal Pradesh from outside has increased rapidly. He added that new faces appear in the area everyday and their activities seem suspicious. He expressed concern for the safety of local women. According to Vijay Sharma, the Muslim population in the area was about 3% but their has significantly increased in a short period of time. Infiltrators from outside, including Bangladeshi nationals, Rohingyas, and Muslims from other states, have contributing to this increase in the local Muslim population.

“The local demography is being altered as part of a conspiracy. There’s a well-planned plot to suppress Hindus. Shimla isn’t a big city, and Sanjauli is an even smaller locality. Settling in a small area like Sanjauli, far from the main city of Shimla, is not usual. There is no Muslim population here, but slowly, crowds are gathering here to change the local demography. Fruit vendors have started selling fruits at cheaper prices. Now, the situation has become so bad that locals are being attacked. We’re worried about the future. I think the next generation will start offerig praying,” Sharma said.

Mohammed Salim, who built the mosque, is the biggest conspirator

According to Vijay Sharma, the incident of the local youth being attacked by some Muslim immigrants sparked public anger. Massive protests erupted on September 5, 2024, and September 11, 2024. These sparks had been simmering for years.

Sharma said that Mohammad Salim arrived in Sanjauli in 1990. He was a tailor. He occupied a piece of government land after a school built on it was shifted. He constructed a single-story structure on it, which gradually tranformed into a multi-storey building. He developed the structure into a mosque. For political gains, he was granted an NOC from the Waqf Board for the mosque.

The mosque received huge funding, soon a full-fleged mosque came up. As the number of floors increased, so did the number of Muslims who came to offer Namaz in it. Th entire five-story structure began to be used solely as a mosque. Notably, the locality has no Muslim settlements nearby. The Muslims who come to the mosque to offer Namaz are predominantly outsiders.

Even though the mosque has a large structure, it has only two toilets on the ground floor. The number of toilets is insufficient for the large number of Muslims, who gather to pray in the mosque. Therefore, the Muslims perform ablution before offering Namaz in the open.

The area has a major Hindu community. In the afternoon, women walk their children home after they return from school or go out for daily chores. Such large number of Muslim men performing ablution in the open, causes inconvenience to the local Hindu women. When the women objected to Muslims performing ablution in the open, they faced lewd comments. However, they did not report the matter to the police, as it is common practice in the mountains not to involve the police in personal matters.

Amrita Chauhan, another local, said “When our sisters return from school with their children, they are stopped during namaz until the worshippers have left. Even Muslim carts and ready-made shops have started popping up in large numbers. Women face lewd comments when they go shopping.”

Mehboob Sheikh turned hostile after becoming Assistant Town Planner

The activities of Mohammad Salim, who laid the foundation for the illegal mosque, were suspicious. The Municipal Corporation had also demanded action against Mohammad Salim for the gathering a Muslim mob and the illegal construction of the mosque between 1990 and 2024. At that time, Inspector General Mehboob Shaikh had indicted Mohammad Salim in an investigation, but later reversed his decision.

Speaking to OpIndia, a local said that upon becoming Assistant Town Planner, Mehboob Sheikh gave a clean chit to Mohammad Salim in his report. He said that Mohammad Salim had no involvement in this matter. He suggested that the Waqf Board should be made a party in the case. Locals said that Mehboob Sheikh played a major role in arranging funds to expand the mosque. According to Vijay Sharma, people continued to demand an investigation against Mehboob Sheikh and his properties, but no the government paid no attention.

Attempt to set anti-Hindu narrative

During Congress rule, attempts were made to establish an anti-Hindu narrative. Recently, young children in a prestigious convent school, were asked to wear white kurta-pajamas and a net cap on Eid, and to bring vermicelli for lunch. This caused anger among the parents of the children. “Vermicelli isn’t a traditional food in the mountains. We asked them if they celebrated Mahavir Jayanti, Durga Puja, or Janmashtami. If not, why are you asking us to celebrate Eid?” said Kamlesh Mehta, a parent. Finally, under pressure from the parents, the school reversed its decision.

Kamlesh says that the Sanatan community in the state is concerned about their children and their future. They are concerned about the next generation. He added that a video of a Congress MLA has gone viral in which he was seen telling the Muslim side to thank him during a press conference. In fact, when the Chief Minister said that he came to power by defeating 98% Hindu ideology, what can we expect from him?