Haryana violence toll rises to five: Imam killed in attack on Gurugram mosque

Gurugram/Chandigarh: A mob attacked a mosque in Gurugram and killed its naib imam, taking the toll in the violence that erupted over an attempt to stop a Vishva Hindu Parishad procession in Nuh district to five, police said on Tuesday.

The ripples from Monday’s violence in Haryana’s Nuh have reached Badshahpur, 40 km away. Restaurants, and shops were torched by a mob this evening amid religious chants.

Authorities on Tuesday imposed a curfew in Nuh where four people, including two home guards, were killed and many others injured on Monday, as Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij claimed that the violence was “engineered”. In Gurugram’s Sector 57 area, the 26-year-old imam was killed and a mosque set ablaze as the violence spread from neighbouring Nuh, the police said. The mob opened fire in which two people were injured.

The imam, identified as Bihar native Saad, died during treatment, a senior officer said. According to the police, the mob reached the Anjuman Masjid in Sector 57 after midnight. Some people in the crowd opened fire at the people present in the mosque and also set it ablaze. In Nuh, two more people injured in the violence on Monday succumbed to their injuries.

The victims are home guards Neeraj and Gursewak and Bhadas village resident Shakti. The identity of the fourth victim is still to be ascertained. Ten policemen were among 23 injured in the violence in Nuh. The police have registered 11 FIRs in the district and detained 27 people in connection with the rioting. At least 120 vehicles were damaged during the violence in the district. Of these, 50, including eight belonging to the police, were set ablaze. Vij on Tuesday said a curfew has been clamped on Nuh district. Alleging that the violence was “engineered”, he told PTI Video,

Peace committee meetings were held in Nuh and Sohna on Tuesday following communal violence in the two towns, with people assuring the administration that they will cooperate fully in maintaining peace, officials said.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said the attack on a VHP procession in Nuh seems to be part of a big conspiracy and asserted that strict action will be taken against the culprits.

Some people hatched a conspiracy and attacked the procession, Khattar said, adding police personnel were also attacked.