Sonipat: At least 10 people were arrested for allegedly barging into a mosque and attacking Muslim worshippers while they were offering namaz in the month of Ramadhan in a Haryana's Sonipat village on Sunday evening, police said on Monday. At least six people were injured in the mosque attack by unknown assailants in Sandal Kalan village, they said.
An additional police force was deployed following the incident and situation is peaceful in the village now, a Sonipat police official said. "The information about the incident was received at night that some anti-social elements had entered the mosque and beat up those who were offering prayers at the mosque", said Sonipat Police Commissioner B Satheesh Balan.
No previous incident has been reported in the village which would have caused disharmony (between communities) and it was an unprovoked attack he added. Some pictures of the alleged attackers, who were seen carrying lathis in their hands and roaming the streets of the village, had surfaced on social media.
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The worshippers, who were offering night prayers inside the mosque, were asked to stop it by some youths from the same village and later they vandalised the place, said locals of the village. Some children were also inside the mosque at the time of the incident, they claimed. The arrested youths belong to the same village. They have been booked under sections of the Indian Penal Code pertaining to hurting religious sentiments, the police official said.
"Strict action as per law will be taken. Such hooliganism will not be tolerated," Balan said. Police said the small mosque is built by the community in the village. An official from the Sonipat Badi Industrial Area Police Station said that an investigation has been launched into the incident.
A similar incident had taken place in Moradabad Uttar Pradesh on Mar. 24 when Hindutva activists prevented Muslim worshippers from offering the Taraweeh (night) prayers in the ongoing month of Ramadhan.
Earlier, on the day of Ram Navami in Sonepat Kharkhoda, communal tensions had arisen after Hindutva activists hoisted the saffron flag on the walls of a mosque. However, the police took charge in time and a major incident was averted.
