Haryana: Sonepat village tense after mob attacks mosque
Tension prevailed at Sandal Kalan village in Haryana’s Sonepat district on Monday after around 20 armed men allegedly attacked people offering prayers and vandalised a mosque a day earlier, police said.
Tension prevailed at Sandal Kalan village in Haryana’s Sonepat district on Monday after around 20 armed men allegedly attacked people offering prayers and vandalised a mosque a day earlier, police said.
According to Sonepat police commissioner B Satheesh Balan, the alleged attack took place at around 9pm on Sunday when people were offering prayers inside the mosque that was built by “community funding”.
While three people have been arrested, six have been detained.
Nine people were injured in the attack and admitted to Sonepat civil hospital for treatment. While two of them were later discharged, the remaining were referred to Bhagat Phool Singh medical college for women at Khanpur Kalan in the district.
“The accused suddenly barged inside the mosque and started hurling abuses. They attacked us with sticks and sharp-edged weapons. They did not spare women and children. This is an attempt to create a communal divide. We respect every religion and have never seen such an incident in the village earlier,” Sabir Ali, one of the injured persons, said.
Police said the arrests were made on the basis of CCTV footage that showed the accused carrying bamboo sticks and roaming near the mosque.
Baland said an FIR was registered for hurting religious sentiments against 18 named people and other unknown persons. “Three accused – Punit, Sumit and Harbir – have been sent on one-day police remand. Strict action will be taken against the accused and security will be provided to the families of the injured,” he said.
“Nearly 70 cops have been deployed in the village to maintain peace and both communities have urged police to take strict action against the accused,” he added.
Members of both the communities also conducted a panchayat on Monday evening and agreed to help to restore peace in the area.
On March 31, five people were arrested for allegedly hoisting a saffron flag atop a mosque in Sonepat’s Kharkhoda area.