Thousands of schoolchildren were caught in an unpleasant situation at Sanjauli, a sub-town in Himachal Pradesh’s Shimla district where communal tension prevailed over a mosque as protesters and police came face to face on Wednesday.
Residents, including parents and guardians of the students, criticised the local administration for allowing educational institutes to remain open despite probationary orders barring the gathering of five or more people. They were seen rushing to schools to collect their wards amid growing tension.
“My seven-year-old son Anuj usually comes home from school on his own with his friends. But today, I received a message from his school urging me to pick him up because of the tension in the area. I didn’t waste a moment and rushed to the school. On my way, I encountered huge barricades, where slogans were being shouted. The area was only cleared after police resorted to lathicharge,” said Santosh Devi, a resident of Engine Ghar Ward in Sanjauli.
Manoj Sharma from Dhingu Dhar in Sanjauli said, “The administration should have kept educational institutions closed today. It was negligence on their part. The safety of children was put in jeopardy. The officers lack foresight. This tension will not subside in just a day or two.”
At Monal Public School in Sanjauli, parents were seen taking their children home. They were allowed to do so only after the school’s staff checked their identity cards and verified their signatures.
Parents were struggling to find out which ways to come to the schools and through which way to return home. A man was spotted guiding students and their parents to avoid the risk.
Ritu Sharma, administrative in-charge of the school, told The Indian Express“We sent messages and made calls to parents only after getting approval from the district administration. We know most of the parents personally because they are locals. While the tension outside is real, we followed the district administration’s directions before contacting the parents.”
She added, “Our school is up to Class 12 but we are not allowing even senior students to go home on their own. We called their parents also.”
There are a dozen schools, including primary and senior secondary institutions, in Sanjauli.
Deputy commissioner’s assurance to the public
On Tuesday, Anupam Kashyap, Deputy Commissioner, Shimlaissued prohibitory orders for Sanjauli using his powers granted under section 163 of the Indian Civil Protection Code 2023 to maintain law and order.
Under the orders, gatherings of five or more people are strictly prohibited. Carrying weapons such as firearms, sticks, spears, axes, bicycle chains, machetes, swords, and inflammable substances is completely banned.
This order will remain effective from 7 am to 11.50 pm on Wednesday. But schools, colleges, government and private offices, and markets remained open as usual.
Repeated attempts to contact Kashyap were unsuccessful.
In his order, Kashyap said that normal life in the area would continue as usual, adding that the public would not face any inconvenience.
“No one will be allowed to hold protests, demonstrations, or hunger strikes without permission in the Sanjauli area. Additionally, the use of loudspeakers in hospitals, courts, educational institutions, and public places will be restricted. Communal, anti-national, or anti-state speeches, slogans, wall writings, and posters will also be strictly prohibited,” Kashyap stated while issuing the orders.
However, thousands of people, including those from neighbouring districts, converged on Sanjauli on Wednesday and protested demanding the demolition of a mosque that they claim was built on the revenue department’s land.
A written notification stated that this order would be in effect from Nav Bahar Chowk to the Eastern Portal of Dhalli Tunnel, from IGMC to Sanjauli Chowk, from Sanjauli Chowk to Chalonthi, and from Dhalli (via the Sanjauli Chalonthi Junction) from 7 am to 11.59 pm on Wednesday.
The district administration had emphasised that normal life would remain smooth, but gatherings of five or more people would be prohibited.