A mosque in Gurugram was set on fire and the naib imam killed, allegedly by a mob of 70-80 people, in the early hours of Tuesday, police said.
According to DCP (East) Nitish Aggarwal, Anjuman Jama Masjid located in sector 57 was torched on Monday night. “We have identified some of the accused and action will be taken soon,” he said.
He added that the accused opened fire during the incident. “The naib imam and another man were badly injured and taken to the hospital. The imam reportedly had stab injuries,” the DCP said.
Police commissioner Kala Ramachandran said, “One person was killed and another injured when a group of men attacked Anjuman mosque in sector 57 in the area of PS Sec 56 GGM today morning at about 12:10 am. Fire tenders put out the fire. The attackers have been identified by the police and following raids conducted throughout the night, several of the attackers have been rounded up. Security around places of worship has been tightened. Police and administration is holding meetings with prominent members of both communities to ensure peace.”
The incident has sparked tension in the area, with locals protesting against the attack. Internet services have been suspended in Sohna, Pataudi and Manesar areas.
Meanwhile, the Haryana Government has sought 20 companies of the Rapid Action Force from the Centre for a week to maintain the law and order situation in Nuh district.
Authorities on Tuesday imposed a curfew in Haryana’s Nuh district where two home guards were killed and several injured following violence that erupted over an attempt to stop a Vishva Hindu Parishad procession. Curfew has been clamped on Nuh district, Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij said on Tuesday. The situation in Nuh continues to be tense. However, there were no reports of any fresh violence on Tuesday.
The attack on the mosque in Gurugram comes at a time when communal tensions have been simmering in the country. In recent weeks, there have been a number of incidents of violence between Hindus and Muslims in different parts of the country.