Haryana mosque case: Committee formed after Tigra mahapanchayat demands SIT for 'fair' probe

Gurugram: A committee formed after a "mahapanchayat" at Tigra village here on Monday demanded the formation of an SIT for a "fair investigation" into the killing of a Muslim cleric last week, claiming that some youth from the village were made scapegoats for the attack.

In a memorandum to the deputy commissioner and the police commissioner, the committee also sought an investigation into the "reasons" for the attack on the mosque.

At least four villagers were arrested after the Anjuman Masjid in sector 57 of Gurugram was attacked by a mob in the early hours of August 1, hours after a Vishva Hindu Parishad procession was attacked in adjoining Nuh district. The mahapanchayat was held to protest the arrests.

"The police have no direct or indirect evidence against them and they were only made a scapegoat...," the memorandum read, adding the arrests were made "on the basis of unfounded suspicion and false information".

It further demanded that the investigation should be completed within a week and the four people "tortured and arrested" by police released.

Deputy Commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav assured the committee that there will be an impartial inquiry into the matter. "Action will be taken only against those who are guilty, no innocent will be harassed unnecessarily," he told the committee members.

"All four arrested youths, Ankit, Rahul, Rakesh and Ravinder, are students of the same family and same village Tigra. They have nothing to do with the alleged crime and were even not present at the spot...," the memorandum read.

The committee sought a thorough investigation into the reasons for the attack on the mosque, claiming it has been a subject of controversy since its establishment and outsiders often stay there illegally.

Six people, including two home guards and the cleric, died in the communal clashes that erupted when a Vishva Hindu Parishad procession was attacked by mobs last Monday in Muslim-dominated Nuh district. The cleric was killed at the Anjuman Masjid in the Sector 57 area of Gurugram.