Hindu extremists arrested for blocking Friday prayers
Tensions rise in northern India as VHP-linked group stops Muslims from praying at a five-storey mosque caught in legal and communal dispute
NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — Police in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh have arrested six members of a Hindu extremist group for preventing Muslims from offering Friday prayers at a mosque in Shimla, a development that highlights the rising vulnerability of religious minorities even in regions with very small Muslim populations.
The confrontation took place in Sanjauli, a neighbourhood in the Himalayan state capital, when members of Devbhoomi Sangharsh Samiti — an organisation aligned with the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), part of India’s wider Hindu nationalist network — blocked the entrance to a five-storey mosque, stopping worshippers from entering for the weekly congregational prayer.
Police identified those arrested as Madan Thakur, Vijay Sharma, Kalpana Sharma, Shweta Chauhan, Shilpi, and Parul. Officers said the group accused the mosque of being “illegal,” questioned the identity and citizenship of Muslims arriving for prayer, and insisted that worship should be halted.
For many worshippers, this was alarming but not entirely unexpected. Himachal Pradesh — a state with one of India’s lowest Muslim populations — has witnessed a surge in right-wing mobilization in recent years, including campaigns targeting halal meat, cow slaughter, and now mosques.
The Sanjauli mosque has been a particular flashpoint. A local court previously ruled that three floors of the structure were unauthorized and ordered partial demolition, a judgment that Hindu nationalist groups have used to demand complete destruction of the mosque.
The mosque committee has contested the claims, saying the order pertains only to specific floors, not the mosque itself.
On Friday, members of the extremist group reportedly turned back worshippers, demanded identity checks, and urged police to cut electricity and water to the building — actions that rights advocates say amount to harassment and collective punishment of a religious minority.
Police deployed additional personnel to control the crowd and prevent escalation. No injuries were reported, but the episode has intensified fears among local Muslims, who form a tiny fraction of the state’s population and already face heightened scrutiny around religious practices.
The Devbhoomi Sangharsh Samiti submitted a letter to senior police officials demanding restrictions on gatherings, surveillance of worshippers, and further action against the mosque.
Analysts say the pattern mirrors tactics seen in other Indian states, where Hindu nationalist groups pressure local administrations to restrict Muslim religious spaces through legal and extralegal means.
Friday’s incident is part of a broader trend in northern India where places of worship — especially mosques with pending land or construction disputes — have become focal points for communal mobilization.
The Shimla mosque remains under close observation as officials attempt to prevent further flare-ups.
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