Intense clashes erupt in northern India as police use water cannons to disperse protestors
by ShravyaIn a tense confrontation in northern India’s Himachal Pradesh, protestors clashed with police after authorities deployed water cannons to disperse the crowds.
The incident took place in the market area of Mandi district on September 13.
Visuals showed large crowds gathering on the streets, raising slogans in anger and defiance. Police personnel were seen using massive water cannons, spraying forcefully to disperse the protestors, who stood firm and attempted to push past barricades.
According to reports, police resorted to using water cannons as protestors demanded the demolition of a mosque built on encroached land. The protest, organized by Hindu outfits, escalated after a march in the Mandi market area turned into a sit-in at Seri Manch. Tensions heightened as protestors tried to advance toward the mosque.
Reportedly, the unrest followed an earlier initiative by members of the Muslim community to demolish an unauthorised section of a mosque on Jail Road, built on Public Works Department (PWD) land. Both the PWD and the municipal corporation had issued encroachment notices to the mosque management.