Haryana: Miscreants attempt to set two mosques on fire in Nuh

Unidentified miscreants attempted to set two mosques on fire in Tauru town of Nuh on Wednesday night as tensions in the Haryana district continued to simmer three days after communal clashes broke out.

The attacks on the two mosques took place around 11.30 pm even as Nuh was under curfew. Nobody was injured in the attacks, the police told Scroll. Nuh has been on the boil since Monday after a group of Muslims stopped a Vishva Hindu Parishad procession.

At least six persons have died in Haryana as the violence spread to neighbouring districts. A mosque was burnt down and its imam killed in Gurugram, several vehicles have been torched, and shops and shanties of Muslim families set ablaze, forcing hundreds of them to flee their homes.

On Wednesday night, assailants on motorcycles threw crude petrol bombs at two mosques in Nuh, causing minor damage, PTI reported. Fire brigade engines were sent to douse the fire, the news agency reported, citing the police.

However, the station house officer at the Tauru police told Scroll on Thursday that they did not see anyone attempting arson. No complaint has been filed in the matter, the police officer said. He said that there was not much damage and only a carpet kept in a mosque was partially burnt.

Also read: Threatened and left homeless, Muslim migrant workers flee Haryana amid communal violence

Haryana seeks more paramilitary forces

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Wednesday asked the central government to send four more teams of security forces as arson and vandalism continued in Gurugram, reported PTI.

Twenty companies of central forces have already been deployed in Haryana – 14 in Nuh, three in Palwal, two in Gurugram and one in Faridabad.

Five godowns were set on fire and two meat shops vandalised in Gurugram district on Tuesday night. The police said the mobs committing the crime disperse before they arrive.

The police have so far arrested 116 people arrested and detained 90. Forty-one FIRs have been registered.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, the Haryana government temporarily lifted ban on mobile internet services between 1 pm and 4 pm in Nuh, Faridabad and Palwal districts to allow examination candidates to download their admit cards, reported ANI.

The police have blamed social media posts for fueling violence in the state. Assistant Commissioner of Police Varun Kumar said that rumours were being spread on social media and that the police were identifying the culprits.

“People have also been arrested and detained,” he added, reported ANI. ‘I want to inform the public that we are not against Hindus or Muslims. We are against those who are misbehaving, misleading and indulging in wrong activities.”