Mandi mosque row: Municipal Commissioner Court grants 30-day time to demolish two illegal floors

Amid the escalating tensions in Mandi, the Municipal Commissioner Court on Friday ordered the demolition of two illegal floors of the mosque in Mandi. The court had ordered the mosque administration to demolish the construction within 30 days. Earlier, the Commissioner had ordered to seal the mosque till the judgement was announced.

Mandi Municipal Corporation Commissioner HS Rana said that they have completed the hearing of this case in three months. During the hearing, the court found construction illegal as it was not approved and no map was passed. The court ruled that the mosque would have to be restored to its old form. If the mosque committee does not demolish the illegal construction itself, then the Municipal Corporation will demolish this construction. The mosque committee can also appeal to the higher court within 30 days.

Hindu organisations hold protest march

Meanwhile, the Hindu organisations staged a protest over the illegally constructed mosque in Himachal Pradesh's Mandi on Friday. Large crowds of protesters gathered along the jail road in Mandi and shouted slogans against the state government demanding action against the alleged illegal construction. Given the call of protest, the Mandi Police beefed up the security and placed barricades in the Jail Road area. As the crowd tried to bring down the line of barricades, police resorted to firing water cannons to disperse the crowd.