Uttarakhand: Sarita Dobhal takes charge as Uttarkashi SP; 'Mahapanchayat' against mosque on Sunday

Uttarkashi (U'khand), Nov 30 (PTI) IPS officer Sarita Dobhal took charge as the Superintendent of Police (SP) of Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi district on Saturday.

Dobhal is the 19th SP of the district and the first woman to hold the post.

Before assuming office as the new SP, she visited the Vishwanath temple here to perform a puja.

Dobhal replaces Amit Shrivastava, who was transferred within three months of being appointed as the SP amid an ongoing dispute over a mosque in the town.

Hindu outfits have been demanding the removal of the mosque, calling it illegal.

The dispute has been going on for the last two months.

Hindu organisations took out a procession in Uttarkashi on October 24 demanding the removal of the mosque.

Police had to resort to a lathicharge when the participants in the procession allegedly hurled stones at police personnel after being prevented from going through a particular route.

The clashes left 27 people, including seven police personnel, injured.

The Hindu organisations submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, holding the district magistrate and SP responsible for the October 24 incident and demanding their removal.

Dobhal takes charge as the SP a day ahead of a "Mahapanchayat" in Uttarkashi convened by Hindu outfits to protest against the mosque in question.

Prohibitory orders were issued on Saturday morning, clamping restrictions within a 50-metre radius of the mosque till further orders, Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM), Bhatwadi, Mukesh Chand Ramola said.

Due to the prohibitory orders, no one will be able to enter the said area with sharp weapons like knifes and spears or firearms. Also, there will be a complete ban on the gathering of five or more people. No cultural or political programme of any kind will be organised. A violation of the prohibitory orders will be considered a punishable offence.

Hindu leader T Raja is likely to attend the "Mahapanchayat" on Sunday on behalf of the Dev Bhoomi Vichar Manch.

When contacted, the SP said permission for the "Mahapanchayat" has been given on 15 conditions.

Full preparations have been made by the police administration and additional force has also been called, she added. PTI COR ALM RC