India: Imam among four killed as communal clashes grip Haryana after Manipur

International

NEW DELHI: After Manipur, violence, this time against Muslims, has gripped another Indian state, Haryana, where four people including an Imam were killed and several police personnel were injured in the ongoing clashes in the state.

Two people, including an Imam, were attacked by a Hindu gang on Monday night outside an under-construction mosque in Gurugram area. A gang of four men attacked Imam Mohmmad Saad and Khursheed with sticks.

Khursheed was also shot in the leg and he is said to be critical, while Saad was killed in the attack.

According to some of the eye witnesses, around five people were present in the under-construction mosque when the attack happened. Others had to hide themselves.

The violence initially erupted in Haryana’s Nuh during a religious procession on Monday. Shortly afterwards, the violence spread to Sohna. Incidents of stone throwing, sloganeering and arson were reported during the violent protest in Gurugram. As news of the violence spread, protesters from two communities clashed near Sohna Road in Gurugram, resulting in damage to several vehicles. Vehicles were burnt in Gurugram’s Sohna Chowk. Stones were thrown and cars were set on fire. Protesters also blocked roads. According to reports, the clashes were triggered by an objectionable video posted on social media by a Bajrang Dal activist in Ballabhgarh.

There are reports that the violence broke out after people knew that Monu Manesar had joined the Hindu yatra. Manesar is a cow vigilante who was booked for the murder of two Muslim men whose charred bodies were found in Bhiwani district in February.

In the wake of the violent incidents, all schools and colleges in Gurugram and Faridabad are close today. Prohibitory orders under were imposed in Gurugram and Nuh.

Mobile internet services have been suspended in Nuh district till Wednesday, August 2, said the Haryana government.__Pakistan Today