Senior advocate and activist Prashant Bhushan has raised serious concerns over recent communal tensions in Himachal Pradesh, stating that the Congress party, despite its public opposition to sectarian politics, is not immune to communalism. Speaking at the release of a fact-finding report on the ongoing Hindu-Muslim confrontations in the state, Bhushan noted that communal flare-ups in the northern hill state are a sign of deep-seated communal sentiments that transcend party lines.
Himachal Pradesh has been engulfed in sectarian tensions for over a month, primarily surrounding a mosque in Sanjauli near Shimla. Some local groups, aligned with Hindutva ideologies, have demanded the demolition of the mosque, claiming it is illegal. The issue has since spread, igniting Hindu-Muslim confrontations across the state. Bhushan emphasized that these incidents demonstrate the dangerous reach of communal politics, which, in his view, has even infiltrated parties like Congress.
“Communal poison has spread”
“The way this incident happened and spread to other parts of Himachal shows that, due to the work done by Hindutva organizations, communal poison has spread across the state,” Bhushan said at the report’s launch on Tuesday. He warned that this growing communal atmosphere could mobilize people in ways that may harm the social fabric of the state.
The report, titled Creating the Muslim ‘Outsider’: Hate Speech, Migrant Vulnerability and Faltering Law & Order in Himachal Pradesh, highlighted how the communal clashes, which began in Sanjauli, soon escalated to other parts of the state, including Shimla’s Nerwa and Kasumpti, Mandi, Chamba, Bilaspur, and beyond.
Congress leaders “opportunistically communal”
One of Bhushan’s most striking critiques was directed at the Congress party, traditionally seen as a bulwark against communalism. According to him, while Congress leader Rahul Gandhi undertook the “Bharat Jodo Yatra” to unite the country against divisive forces, some of his party’s leaders continue to indulge in communal politics for short-term electoral gain.
“Even Congress has people who are opportunistically communal, even if they do not have a communal ideology,” Bhushan remarked. “They feel they can use communalization to gain votes. This is a dangerous trend.”
Bhushan urged Rahul Gandhi to take a firmer stance against such leaders within his party, advocating for their removal. “If Congress keeps people known to be corrupt or communal, thinking it will yield short-term gains, they should understand it is counterproductive in the long run. You cannot play this game better than the BJP. You will gain nothing out of it,” he cautioned.
Deep-rooted migrations and communal tensions
At the event, former deputy mayor of Shimla and CPI(M) leader Tikender Singh Panwar provided historical context for the communal flare-ups. He explained that the demographic makeup of the hill states, including Himachal Pradesh, was shaped by decades of migration, particularly during the British colonial period. “In Shimla, which was once the capital of British India, Kashmiri Muslims were brought in as laborers, and this city, like many others, was built on migrations,” Panwar said.
He stressed that attempts to create a communal divide in the region are particularly harmful, given its rich history of cultural integration. Panwar also highlighted that discussions over the legality of the mosque in Sanjauli are misleading, as many religious structures, including over 20 temples, exist on government or forest land.
Growing communal polarisation
The fact-finding report criticized the role of Congress leaders in failing to adequately address the tensions. Violent protests have broken out in several parts of the state, including Mandi, Palampur, Kullu, and Solan, with protesters clashing with police and vandalizing shops. The report highlighted the growing sense of fear among the Muslim community in Himachal Pradesh, which constitutes less than two percent of the state’s population.
Panwar warned that this low population density has not shielded the state from communal polarization. “Just because the Muslim population is small doesn’t mean communal tensions can’t be inflamed,” he said, adding that efforts to vitiate the atmosphere in Himachal have ramped up in recent months.
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Vulnerability of the muslim community
Nadeem Khan, an activist who was part of the fact-finding team, recounted how they were targeted during their investigation. He revealed that BJP leader Kamal Gautam circulated photographs of the team members, accusing them of being “terrorists.” Khan stressed the vulnerability of the Muslim community in such an environment, stating that no action had been taken on the police complaint they filed.
Srishti Jaswar, a journalist who also participated in the investigation, noted that state police officials admitted they had never dealt with such levels of communal polarization before. The tensions first erupted on August 30 after a scuffle between a Muslim barber and a Hindu businessman in the Malyana area near Shimla turned into a broader communal issue.
A pernicious agenda
The report concludes that the situation in Himachal Pradesh reflects a dangerous pattern of communalism, fueled by hate speech and political opportunism. Panwar reiterated that migration has been the foundation of mountain cities like Shimla and that the ongoing discourse about “outsiders” and unauthorized religious structures is a distraction from the real issues at hand.
With rising communal tensions and a fragile law-and-order situation, Bhushan and other speakers emphasized the urgent need for political parties, including Congress, to confront and root out communal elements within their ranks, lest they contribute to the deepening divides in society.
