Hindutva trundles in to Himachal Pradesh

This month the otherwise tranquil state of Himachal Pradesh has been roiled in a vortex of Islamophobia, despicable politics, violence and opportunistic silence from those who should be speaking out. Right-wing lunatics have been flooding the streets of Shimla, Mandi, Solan, Hamirpur and elsewhere, protesting against illegal mosques and ‘outsiders’ (which is Sanghi-speak for Muslims).

The state government has been caught on the backfoot and is scrambling to contain the trouble. Notwithstanding its ineffectiveness, however, the chief minister has to be commended for taking an unequivocal stand against vigilante justice and mob violence, and for insisting that the issues will be decided in the courts, not on the streets.

The sudden and simultaneous mushrooming of these protests at a dozen different places in the state is no coincidence or happenstance, it is part of the BJP’s efforts to destabilise the Congress government. The BJP is not a party that espouses the Christian virtues of charity and it has neither forgotten nor forgiven the Congress for trouncing it in the elections in 2022.

Ever since that defeat, the BJP has been fomenting trouble for the Sukhu government—inducing defections, encouraging factionalism within the Congress, denying the state its rightful revenues in order to weaken it financially… the masjid issue is part of this despicable continuum. It is trying to do an Uttarakhand in Himachal, shamelessly and without any concern for the strategic location of a state that borders both Kashmir and Tibet.

The two main demands—instant demolition of ‘illegal’ mosques and verification of ‘outsiders’—are both contentious and open to question. Firstly, the singling out of mosques alone is mischievous and gives the game away. According to the town and country planning department, there are more than 15,000 illegal/ irregular buildings in Shimla alone.

Furthermore, in an article in the Tribune, the former deputy mayor of Shimla Tikainder Singh Panwar lists four popular temples and one gurudwara in Shimla that are also illegal (there will be many more), but no one is making a song and dance about them. Quite clearly, then, what is under attack by these fundamentalists is not the building but the religion.

Secondly, the exact legal status of the mosques in question is not clear—are they encroachments on government land; have they been built without the requisite approvals; or are the constructions violative of sanctioned plans?

These are questions to be decided by the courts, not mobs, and in most cases the matters are already being adjudicated by the courts. The chief minister has already announced that the cases will be fast-tracked, and in at least two cases—Sanjauli and Mandi—the masjid authorities have either demolished the offending portions themselves or have sought permission to do so.

This should have brought closure to the protests but closure is not what these Islamophobic outfits are interested in—they want to keep the pot boiling, and so they have now shifted to their second demand, ‘verification’ and detention of outsiders—shorthand for barring the entry into the state of labourers, traders, vendors of a particular community. This is common in BJP-(mis)ruled Uttarakhand but has so far found no traction in Himachal, which has just 2 per cent Muslims.

This demand is straight out of a Nazi toolkit. India is a democracy and the Constitution gives its citizens the right to live anywhere, practise any profession, and to live life with dignity and freedom. The mobs want these rights to be taken away from the state’s Muslim migrants, and to give in to them would be to convert Himachal into a police state.

The ‘checking’ of ‘outsiders’, as demanded, would mean stopping and verifying at the state’s borders the papers of every person coming in. It cannot be done in an open society without specific inputs or cause. And to what purpose, since everybody these days has some ID or the other?

Also, don’t forget that Himachal is a tourist state, with almost 20 million ‘outsiders’ visiting the state every year— that would mean checking 50,000 people EVERY DAY at the entry points! Or should the police check only those who wear clothes of a particular type, or sport a particular kind of beard?

The chief minister has already announced that a comprehensive policy will be formulated for vendors/ tehbazari and only those who have a licence will be allowed to do business on the roads. This should have settled this demand as well, but what is being attempted here by the BJP/ VHP is just another version of the economic boycott and exclusion of a particular community.

It is no coincidence that the current protests and demonstrations are led by the various vyapar mandals and the business community. Their real targets are the vendors and small street businesses, a large part of which is in the hands of Muslims. It is likely these groups make a dent in the earnings of businesses belonging to the majority community, so off with the former’s heads! There is nothing better than combining business with religion, is there? Make a few bucks while earning a few brownie points with your gods at the same time!

The ongoing protests are nothing but an expression of religious hatred and intolerance. But, equally disturbing is the near silence of other sections of society—members of the Congress itself, other civic associations, the media, other political parties, retired government officials who are busy whatsapping banal and vapid greetings to each other but will not raise their voices on such an issue.

It is, however, heartening to note that some formations like CITU, Himachal Kisan Sabha, DYFI, All India Lawyers Union, Janwadi Mahila Samiti and others held a meeting on 16 September and have decided to hold a public peace and unity rally on 27 September. One of the problems of Shimla is that it has no civil society to speak of, which is why right-wing fundamentalists can fill up the vacuum so easily with their hate and Islamophobia.

It is encouraging that the chief minister has taken a resolute stand against these elements, but he needs the full support of his own party and high command, the state administration, the common citizens and all those who still value the principles of the Mahatma.

At stake is not only a government, but the only secular, inclusive, multiculturally sensitive, law-abiding state in north India. It is worth speaking up for and fighting for.