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Armed mob charged on Rajasthan village to attack mosque, after false news report. 50 detained

A Hindi newspaper published a report claiming that an accused in Udaipur tailor's murder was from Bhim, causing mob from neighbouring villages 'to try & enter it & burn a mosque'.

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Bhim (Rajsamand): An unverified news item published in a Hindi daily — about one of the accused in the Udaipur killing — allegedly brought an armed mob of 200-300 people charging down on a Rajasthan village Wednesday before police stepped in and controlled the situation.

Fifty people have been detained for the incident, which left a constable grievously injured. Twenty-three of these have been arrested.

The news report in question, published in Dainik Bhaskar, pertained to Ghaus Mohammed, one of the suspects in the brutal killing of tailor Kanhaiya Lal Teli. According to a front-page item published Wednesday, Ghaus was a resident of Bhim, a village in Rajsamand district.

There were also rumours that the accused was a cousin of the maulana (cleric) of the Jama Masjid at Bhim, something the paper also claimed in another article Thursday.

Speaking to ThePrint, Rajsamand Superintendent of Police (SP) Sudheer Chaudhary said neither report was true.

Even so, after the 29 June report was published, a mob from neighbouring villages started gathering outside Bhim, with the intention of burning the mosque down and attacking the maulvi, claimed Chaudhary.

The mob was stopped outside the village, he added, but a police constable was injured in the violence.

The SP said 23 people have been arrested under sections 307 (attempt to murder), 352 (using criminal force), 353 (criminal charge on public servant), 295 A (hurting religious sentiment) and 147 (rioting), of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Two men described as leaders of a local gang — Cobra Gang, which is believed to have instigated the mob — were also arrested Thursday night and are being interrogated, said Chaudhary. They have been identified as Surya and Surinder.

On Tuesday, the accused in Teli’s murder — Mohammad Riyaz Attari and Ghaus — were arrested from Jassa Kheda near Bhim.

“They had tried to enter the village to evade the police,” said Chaudhary, adding that this gave rise to rumours that they had tried to seek shelter in the village mosque.

The Jama Masjid in Bhim | Photo: Manisha Mondal | ThePrint
The Jama Masjid in Bhim | Photo: Manisha Mondal | ThePrint

Reached for comment, Dainik Bhaskar‘s Udaipur editor Ajay Mishra said, “Bhaskar is not the only paper that carried this information. I can’t reveal our sources, but we have proof of everything we carried.”

In light of Wednesday’s incident, Section 144 has been imposed in Bhim village.

ThePrint found silence and empty streets when it visited Thursday, with the village police station being the only place where a crowd was gathered — family members of those detained in the incident.

Teli was murdered Tuesday, allegedly because the perpetrators sought to punish him for a purported social media post in support of former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma, who had made controversial comments against Prophet Muhammad last month.


Also read: 4,000 gather for silent protest, even as Udaipur remains on edge over Hindu tailor’s murder


What happened on 29 June

According to the SP, around 200-300 men from nearby villages, carrying weapons such as swords, started gathering outside Bhim Wednesday, with the intention of setting fire to the local Jama Masjid.

“Fringe elements from nearby places, including local mobsters like those from the Cobra Gang, gathered to instigate violence in Bhim Wednesday,” said Chaudhary.

The mob was, however, stopped by the police before it could enter the village. A curfew was declared at 12 noon.

“At noon we got to know a mob with sticks and swords is headed for the village. We were asked to wrap up our shop and head home. Out of fear, we all fled. We don’t know what happened afterwards,” said Anil Kumar, 22, a vegetable vendor in the village. “None of us villagers was involved. It was all outsiders.”

A group of women wait outside the police station for family members who have been detained | Photo: Manisha Mondal | ThePrint
A group of women wait outside the police station for family members who have been detained | Photo: Manisha Mondal | ThePrint

As the police stepped in, Sandeep Choudhary, a constable, was allegedly hit by a man on the back of his neck, causing two veins to sever. He was taken to the JLN Hospital, Ajmer, and is recovering, said the SP, adding that Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot met him Thursday and promoted him to the position of head constable.

Saying none of the accused in Thursday’s incident was from Bhim, the SP said, “I can’t tell you where they are from due to security reasons, but none of them is from Bhim”.

A family member of one of the people detained, hotel owner Neelesh Singh, alleged that “the ones who actually caused the violence are roaming free, but businessmen and advocates have been nabbed by the police without any sound reason”.

Meanwhile, reiterating that neither the village, nor the maulana, had any links to Teli’s incident, Abbas Qureshi, president of the Jama Masjid committee said “there’s tension in Bhim, but we’re all safe currently”.

“Maulana sahab was questioned by the police and his Aadhaar card is with them. But neither Bhim village or the maulana has any connection with the incident (Teli’s murder),” he added.

(Edited by Poulomi Banerjee)


Also read: ‘My husband employed Muslims’ — Kanhaiya Lal’s family now wants same fate for perpetrators


 

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