India: Extremists set mosque on fire, shoot dead Imam in Haryana

A Hindu mob has set a mosque on fire and shot dead an Imam in India’s Haryana state, neighboring the capital New Delhi.

The mosque, located in Haryana’s Gurugram district, was set ablaze on Monday night by extremist elements, who opened fire there and killed an Imam identified as Maulana Saad.

Two people were also injured in the attack.

Gurgaon Police said in a statement that “the attackers (who torched the mosque) have been identified and several of them have been rounded up.”

The attack followed violence that broke out earlier in the day in the neighboring Nuh district when a procession organized by the right-wing extremist group Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) passed through the Muslim-dominated district.

The violence left at least four people killed, including two members of the home guard – a voluntary force that helps police control civil disturbances – and at least 20 injured.

“The procession was meant to move from one temple to another but clashes broke out between two groups on the way, which resulted in the death of four people,” Krishan Kumar, spokesperson of Nuh police, told Reuters.

In the wake of the violence, prohibitory orders were imposed in Gurugram, and schools and colleges in the district were directed to remain closed on Tuesday. Curfew orders were also imposed in Nuh where the internet has been also shut off.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pursuit of a “Hindu first” agenda since coming to power in 2014 has stoked communal tensions in India.

The latest incidents follow increasing violence targeting India’s Muslim minority carried out by the extremists who have been emboldened by Modi’s silence on such attacks since he came to power.

SS