Mahapanchayat members meet Gurugram DC, demand release of men held for attack on mosque

Mahesh Dayma, a former councillor of ward number 30, said if their demands are not met, they will meet chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar.

The members of the committee that was formed in Sunday’s mahapanchayat in Tigra village met Gurugram deputy commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav and senior police officers at the mini secretariat and handed over a memorandum for the immediate release of four alleged rioters on Monday.

Gurugram DC Nishant Yadav meets mahapanchayat members on Monday. (HT Photo)

The committee members also sought a thorough investigation into the mosque attack in Gurugram last week in the aftermath of the communal flare-up in Nuh.

The members demanded the formation of a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the attack on Anjuman Jama Masjid in Sector 57 and the murder of its naib imam.

Karamvir Singh, a resident of Tigra village in Sector 57, said that they want a fair and unbiased investigation against the locals who have been named in the FIR for the murder. “Four men have been arrested from Tigra, but they were not seen in the CCTV footage recovered from the spot. We want police to arrest the real culprits and release the innocent men at the earliest. They have randomly picked the men and framed them in the case,” he said.

Sube Singh Bohra, former sarpanch of Wazirabad village in Sector 57, said they want peace in their area but there are multiple issues that are bothering them after the attack on the mosque and subsequent arrests. “We want the mosque to shut or be shifted from here. Since there is a lot of angst amongst the locals, it is not wise to allow the Muslim community to offer prayers here. The situation is such that violence can erupt in the slightest of provocation,” he said.

Mahesh Dayma, a former councillor of ward number 30, said if their demands are not met, they will meet chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar. “We have given the police a week’s time to complete their investigation. If our men are not released by then, then we will hit the road to protest against the injustice,” he said.

The deputy commissioner confirmed that they have received a memorandum and it has been sent to the state government. “We are examining the issues raised by the mahapanchayat members and police are also accessing footage based on which the four men from Tigra village were arrested,” Yadav said.

Bhupinder Singh, deputy commissioner of police (west), who attended the meeting at the mini secretariat, said that they have already formed teams who are conducting a fair investigation. “Police have not picked anyone randomly, the probe involves a lot of factors such as footage, call detail records, locations and statements of people who either saw them or were identified on social media. A thorough investigation will be carried out. We have arrested the four men on the basis of evidence,” he said.

Hundreds of people from villages in and around Gurugram gathered on Sunday in violation of prohibitory orders in Sector 57 — where a mosque was attacked and a deputy imam murdered during the communal violence last week — and called for an economic and social boycott of Muslims. The members had issued a seven-day ultimatum to the police to release the men who were arrested for their alleged involvement in the desecration of the mosque. Furthermore, the mahapanchayat also called for the removal of the mosque by citing its location in a predominantly Hindu area.