Gurugram: A mob of more than 200 people ransacked a mosque here in a village assaulting people who were praying inside and threatened to expel them from the village.
Police have registered a first information report (FIR) in the incident that happened in Bhora Kalan village Wednesday (October 12) night, but no arrests were reported till Thursday evening.
According to a complaint filed by subedar Najar Mohammad, Bhora Kalan village has only four Muslim families.
He said that the ruckus began Wednesday morning, when a mob comprising about 200 people reportedly led by Rajesh Chauhan alias Babu, Anil Bhadoria, and Sanjay Vyas surrounded the mosque and entered the prayer hall where they threatened the namazis with expulsion from the village. The mob claimed that the Muslims were trying to expand the mosque, a claim denied by them.
“In the night again, when we were praying inside the prayer hall in the mosque, the mob came and assaulted the namazis and even locked the prayer hall. They also threatened to kill us,” the Subedar said in his complaint, according to police.
By the time police reached, the accused had fled.
Police have recovered a mobile phone from the spot which may belong to someone part of the attacking mob, officials said.
Following Mohammad’s complaint, an FIR was registered against Rajesh Chauhan, Anil Bhadoria, Sanjay Vyas and several others under sections of IPC related to rioting, trying to cause religious strife, and unlawful assembly at Bilaspur Police Station.
According to Indian Express, the FIR names 8-10 persons from the village – all of whom are said to be absconding.
Village sarpanch Yajvinder Sharma told the newspaper that “a few miscreants” were responsible for the violence because they feel the Muslim families “might build a bigger mosque and invite people from outside”. He said he got a call from other residents and rushed to the spot. “Men and women were arguing. There was no violence,” he said, according to IE.
Imran Khan, a resident, said they had hired labourers this week to repair the roof and other renovation work. “We built the mosque using our money on our land. Last night, I tried explaining this to the men who vandalised our mosque, but they didn’t care. They said we were encroaching on land to make the mosque bigger,” he said, according to IE. The Wire
