In separate incidents, some unidentified miscreants attacked a mosque and a temple in Uttar Pradesh's Faizabad district on Monday night prompting the authorities to view it as a conspiracy to instigate communal tension in the area.
While a crude bomb was thrown at a mosque in Faizabad, idols in a Shiva temple in Wazirganj area of the city were found broken. The incidents caused tension in the area, but the police brought the situation under control before it could turn violent.
The low-intensity bomb blast in the mosque shattered the glass of doors and windows, but no one was injured in the attack, according to the PTI report.
"We heard a big sound of explosion at around 1.30 in the night. We came out and found the mosque premises full of smoke and smell of explosive. There were lots of small iron pieces and nails spread around. Those were later collected by bomb disposal squad," said secretary of the mosque management committee Shoaib.
Complaints have been registered in both the incidents and the city police have started investigating the bomb blast and vandalism at the Shiva temple.
The police see the incidents as attempts to create tension between the two communities. "It seems to be a well-planned conspiracy to create communal riots here but we will never allow any such incident," said senior superintendent of police Mohit Gupta.
Nearly six cases of idol theft and vandalism at various temples have been reported in the last few days. While the police recovered the stolen idols, they were unable to find the people behind the vandalism.
Uttar Pardesh has been marred with various communal incidents and one among them is the 18 August attack on Jama Masjid in Faizabad. Some miscreants had tried to set ablaze the mosque during 'Sawan Mela' festival.
