Residents, shopkeepers blame MC, successive govts for Sanjauli chaos

Local residents and shopkeepers blamed successive governments and Municipal Corporation for the chaos in Sanjauli today, alleging that the case related to the mosque in the locality had been going on for 14 years.

Many of them, however, also slammed the protesters for not lodging their protest peacefully. A few also slammed the government for not sending any minister or any senior leaders to talk to the protestors and defuse the situation. “Maybe the situation wouldn’t have flared up so much if any minister or a leader had come to talk to the protesters,” said a local resident.

Some of the shopkeepers running shops for many decades at Sanjauli termed the entire incident “extremely unfortunate”. “We have been doing business here for more than six decades. We have never seen such anarchy and animosity in all these year. It’s extremely unfortunate,” said an elderly shopkeeper.

A few students from Government College, Sanjauli, who were caught in the melee, also regretted the whole incident. “Protest is fine but they don’t have to be so aggressive. Yes, illegal construction is wrong, be it a mosque or any other structure, and such matters should be decided promptly by the authorities concerned,” said Mehak and Alisha, the students of GC, Sanjauli.

Another shopkeeper said the government underestimated the anger simmering among the people over illegal construction and delay in deciding the case. “It’s been nearly 15 years since the case is being heard, and there’s still no certainty as to when it will be decided. If it had been decided by now, all this wouldn’t have happened,” he argued.

Another shopkeeper, who was among the protesters, said the protesters just wanted to sit peacefully on a dharna to register their protest. “The government and the administration, however, provoked them by placing big barricades on the way and imposing prohibitory orders,” he said.