Makeshift shops outside mosque set afire, one held

A 35-year-old man was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly setting fire to five makeshift shops outside a mosque in Sadar market early Tuesday.

A 35-year-old man was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly setting fire to five makeshift shops outside a mosque in Sadar market early Tuesday.

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According to the police, a team, which had been deployed in the Sadar market on Monday night, was alerted about the incident around 2am. The police said that wooden counters of the shops were blazing and they doused it by pouring water from the mosque over it.

Rajender Singh, assistant commissioner of police (city), said that they identified the suspect from the footage of CCTV cameras in the area. “A man wearing a blue shirt, black coat and white shoes was seen using a cigarette lighter to set fire to a cloth that was covering books, religious clothes and other religious materials kept on the counters outside the mosque,” he said.

Singh said five teams were formed to trace the suspect, identified as Vikas, alias Vicky, of Majra Dabas village in northwest Delhi, who worked on contract as a bus conductor. He lives at a rented accommodation in Ram Nagar, Sector 8, from where he was arrested. He was sent to judicial custody after being produced in court.

During questioning, Vikas said he was inebriated when he set the makeshift shops ablaze, the police said.

Hafiz Harun, who runs an eatery and a makeshift shop near the mosque, said that he was sleeping in his room, located in the vicinity, when he heard a loud noise. “I came down to the mosque and saw police dousing the fire. I was shocked to see that all the stuff had burnt. I checked with the police but they had no clue how it had happened. I had bought the books and religious clothes for around ₹25,000 from Delhi on Monday. I would have sold it for at least ₹35,000, but all of it was charred,” he said.

The police said they based on Harun’s statement, a case was registered under Section 435 of the IPC at the City police station on Tuesday. An additional charge, under Section 295 (injuring or defiling place of worship with intent to insult the religion of any class) of the IPC was added to the case on Wednesday.

Singh said the police teams showed the CCTV footage to the public and conducted extensive enquiries in nearby areas, during which a resident of Sector 12 identified the suspect and took the police to his house. “He was sleeping when the police team raided his house and was found in an inebriated state. He was arrested from the spot and during questioning, he confessed to the crime and also said that he was involved in another incident last May, wherein he, along with his friends, had allegedly forcibly removed the skullcap of a 25-year-old man who was exiting a mosque in the same area,” he said.

Haji Ahmad, another shopkeeper, suspects that miscreants were trying to disrupt peace in the area. “The suspect tried to disturb the peace and religious harmony, which could lead to violence. We have been working here for the past 10 years but never had any issue with anyone. We have met and requested the commissioner of police to deploy a police team in the area to ensure our safety,” he said.

Muhammad Akil, the police commissioner, said they have deployed a team of six police personnel outside the mosque. “The shopkeepers had met me on Wednesday and we have assured them of their safety and security. There is peace in the area and we will ensure all the CCTV cameras are functional in the area so that anyone trying to create an issue can be identified and subjected to prompt action,” he said.