A senior police official appealed to the enraged Muslims to maintain peace and assured them of an impartial investigation
Team Clarion
JAIPUR – Three persons including two minors have been arrested for burning a mosque and some copies of the Noble Qur’an in Rajasthan’s Barmer district.
The prime accused, identified as Mukesh, is a resident of Binjrad village where the incident occurred late on Wednesday night.
The incident came to light when some villagers in a settlement adjacent to the mosque saw smoke rising from the place of worship and rushed to control the fire. As the villagers doused the fire it was found out that some copies of the Qur’an inside the mosque were also burnt. The villagers see the incident as a well-thought-out conspiracy.
A large number of Muslims gathered outside the mosque and demanded immediate action against the culprits. Considering the seriousness of the matter, Barmer SP Narendra Singh Meena reached Bijarad early Thursday morning. He appealed to the enraged crowd to maintain peace and assured them of an impartial investigation. The SP camped at the Bijarad police station throughout the day with the police keeping a close watch.
“A matter related to the burning of a mosque has come to light. I have reached the spot to gather information related to the incident. The FSL team has collected the evidence and a suspect has been arrested. He is being interrogated. We will ensure a fair probe into the matter and take strict action against the culprits. For now, the area is peaceful,” said SP Meena.
The police called a forensic team to the spot to collect evidence. Initially, a suspect was taken into custody, but he was released after his innocence was established. But, by evening, based on technical and human intelligence, the main accused was taken into custody. During interrogation, information surfaced about the involvement of two minors, who also were rounded up. The arrests somewhat calmed the frayed tempers of the Muslim community.
The incident has sparked concern over attempts to disturb peace and communal harmony in the district.
Calling the incident “unfortunate”, Barmer’s Congress MP Umeda Ram Beniwal urged the people not to disturb the communal harmony of the area.
“The incident of arson at a religious place in Bijrad (Ramsar) area of Barmer district of the parliamentary constituency is extremely unfortunate. This is a malicious attempt to pollute the intimacy and culture of Thar and to create division in the exemplary unity and brotherhood of the society, which we Thar residents must not allow to succeed at any cost. The peace and centuries-old brotherhood of Thar is our biggest strength, and it has to be maintained at all costs,” said Beniwal.
He further said “As soon as I got information about the incident, I immediately spoke to the administrative officials. The police administration should promptly arrest the anti-social elements who committed this heinous act and take strict legal action. I appeal to all Thar residents to maintain peace, stay away from rumours and strengthen mutual brotherhood,” he tweeted.
