Police Blockades Thwart Hindu Leaders from Joining Mandi Mosque Protest

Bilaspur Police took precautionary measures by setting up barricades on the four-lane highway on Friday to prevent Hindu leaders, including former Hindu Jagran Manch office bearer Kamal Gautam, from reaching Mandi, where protests were planned over the mosque construction issue.

Early Friday morning, a police team arrived at Kamal Gautam’s ancestral village, Mandrighat, to prevent him from leaving for Mandi. However, Kamal had already left his house before the police could block his departure. As a result, the police placed checkpoints at all major routes leading to Mandi. Vehicles traveling toward Mandi were stopped and searched before being allowed to continue.

According to Kamal Gautam, he had planned to participate in the Mandi protest, but while en route, he became aware of the police blockades. He attempted to take an alternative route through Barmana to reach Mandi, but police had set up checkpoints there as well, ultimately preventing him from reaching the protest site.

Kamal Gautam further announced that a statewide bandh (shutdown) had been called for Saturday in Himachal Pradesh in protest against the mosque construction. He expressed his intention to lead a rally in Ghumarwin during the bandh.

Meanwhile, DSP Ghumarwin Chandrapal Singh denied allegations that police had set up specific blockades to stop anyone from reaching Mandi. He clarified that the checkpoints on the four-lane highway were part of routine security checks.