A video of the vandalised and burned has surfaced online; the accused are being identified, says a police official
NEW DELHI — To punish the family of a Muslim youth who allegedly eloped with a Hindu girl, two houses of his family were set ablaze in Dhani Mahu village in Bhiwani District of Haryana on Sunday.
Social media is awash with posts claiming that the houses were set on fire on charges of ‘love jihad’. The entire belongings were thrown out of the houses before the abodes of the family were consigned to flames, the posts claim.
A video of the vandalised homes also surfaced online.
After the couple eloped, a panchayat was also reportedly convened. In the video, the belongings of the Muslim families could be seen outside their homes. The video also shows a blaze outside the houses.
Several fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the fire, reports said.
Media reports said on Monday that a large number of policemen have been deployed in the area to avoid any untoward incident.
The Hindu girl, reports said, belongs to a village in Hamirwas police station area of Rajasthan.
It is learnt that no member of the Muslim youth’s family was present in the house when the hooliganism was taking place. Media reports quoted eyewitnesses as saying that those indulging in vandalism and arson hid their identity behind masks.
They said the arsonists were carrying hammers in their hands. A motorcycle, a scooty, a TV set, a washing machine and other household items were taken out of the house and torched. Senior police officials, including DSP Dalip Singh, visited the spot. Later, Tosham police station in-charge Mahavir Singh, said that the accused are being identified.
It is still not clear whether the Muslim families filed a complaint with the police. Authorities have not yet issued any official statement on the incident.
