Haryana violence: The tale of a mosque and a temple

The police failed to prevent a mob attack on a mosque in Gurugram hours after they repulsed mobs on a road leading to a temple in Nuh.

Aug 2, 2023 - 11:30

Haryana violence: The tale of a mosque and a temple

Mohammad Saad was supposed to be on a train on Tuesday afternoon, going back home to Bihar’s Sitamarhi. Instead, an ambulance set out for Sitamarhi on Tuesday with the 22-year-old’s corpse.

Saad died Monday night when a mob attacked and set on fire the Anjuman mosque in Gurugram, where he used to work as an imam.

Hours before the mosque had come under attack, violence had broken out in Nuh, 60 km away. Muslim residents threw stones at a Vishva Hindu Parishad procession, setting off clashes that left four dead.

Initial reports of the violence had suggested that for several hours, Hindu devotees participating in the procession were stranded in a temple complex, surrounded by a violent mob. Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij told the Indian Express that 3,000-4,000 people were being held hostage in the temple. Media reports added that the police had rescued the devotees by late evening.

#BreakingNews | 1 dead, 3 injured in Haryana's Nuh following violent clash, 2500 people stranded in temple, Section 144 imposed in the area@_anshuls shares more details#Nuh #Haryana #BrassTacks | @Zakka_Jacob pic.twitter.com/Y0lYKLfeO6— News18 (@CNNnews18) July 31, 2023

However, when Scroll visited the temple on Tuesday, the head priest, Deepak Sharma, said that although the atmosphere was tense on Monday afternoon, the police had managed to keep the mob “at least...