A mosque in Gurugram that was set on fire following which an 'imam', Mohammad Saad was killed. He was allegedly targeted by a mob of 100 people, in the early hours of Tuesday, the caretaker of the mosque, Izhar, has claimed.
Izhar told the media that a mob of about 100 people ransacked and set on fire the religious place in Gurugram's Sector 57 area. DCP Nitish Aggarwal has said that Anjuman Jama Masjid located in Sector 57 was set on fire by the mob.
"We have identified some of the accused and action will be taken soon," he said.
Mohammad Saad, a resident of Bihar, was killed, while one was injured. According to the FIR, a crowd of 100-120 shouting religious slogans also pelted stones at the police personnel on the spot. The people involved in the crowd entered the religious place and started firing.
During this, Saad, who was inside the mosque, died, while a person named Khurshid Alam was injured by a bullet in his leg. ASI Sandeep of Haryana Police present on the spot has registered an FIR in the matter.
Some of the attackers have been identified. "The mob opened fire and thrashed Saad with sticks. Saad and Khurshid were caught by the mob, while the other three men saved their lives by hiding," he claimed.
According to Izhar, 4 to 5 policemen were deployed outside the religious place at the time of the attack. After the incident, several senior officers of Gurugram Police reached the spot and began an investigation. Around six fire bridges had brought the fire under control by morning.
Meanwhile, Mohd Aslam Khan, chairman of the Mosque Management Committee at Sector-57 in Gurugram said that Saad had talked to his brother Shadab at 11 a.m. in the night. He was about to return to his home in Bihar by train on the evening of August 1. Meanwhile, the security around religious places in the area has been strengthened.
Nuh violence: A timeline
Four people were killed in clashes that broke out during a religious procession in Nuh, Haryana, on Monday, including two home guards named Neeraj and Gursevak and an 'Imam' named Maulana Mohammad Saad and one civilian in Nuh.
Mobile internet services were suspended until Wednesday (August 2) to quell the "intense communal tension", according to the Haryana government.
The Brij Mandal Yatra was flagged off earlier from Gurugram's Civil Lines by BJP district president Gargi Kakkar. A police contingent was deployed with the procession.
Stones were pelted on Yatra in Nuh and at least four cars, part of the procession, were set on fire. Some police vehicles were also damaged.
Mobs in neighbouring Gurugram district's Sohna set afire vehicles and a shop that appeared to belong to members of the minority group after the word of the violence in Muslim-dominated Nuh spread.
A controversial video that a Bajrang Dal activist in Ballabhgarh allegedly shared on social media further added to the tensions, according to some reports
Additionally, there were rumours that Monu Manesar, a cow vigilante previously detained for the February murder of two Muslim men, whose burned bodies were discovered in the Bhiwani region, was planning to march in the procession.
Police also rescued over 2,500 people including women and children from a Shiva temple. These reportedly included devotees and individuals who had sought to stay there as tensions between the two factions began.
An MLA from Nuh, Chaudhary Aftab Ahmed claimed the event was a premeditated act of violence.
"Provocation was deliberately done by uploading videos on social media," the MLA said.
Thirteen companies of paramilitary forces reached the district, while six more companies were yet to arrive. To prevent any unforeseen developments, Section 144 was implemented in Faridabad, Palwal, and Gurugram. Following the incident in Nuh, a warning was issued for Rajasthan's Bharatpur district. As a precaution, educational facilities were closed on Tuesday in the districts of Gurugram, Faridabad, and Palwal.
WFH to employees
A number of private firms operating here have allowed the staff to leave early on Tuesday as the state's Nuh and Gurugram districts witnessed communal violence. Work from home has been announced till August 4. Many office employees struggled to get a cab to return home.
A number of employees were seen on the National Highway-48 near Shankar Chowk and Cyber hub, waiting for cabs. Meanwhile, the domestic helpers -- mostly belong to a minority community, have been asked to stay at home by several societies in Gurugram. Delivery through online apps and portals has also come to a standstill.
According to sources, migrant Muslims from Badshahpur, Bhondsi and adjoining areas have left for Delhi as tension spread across Nuh and Gurugram.
(With inputs from IANS)
