Tension gripped Meerut in western Uttar Pradesh on Monday when a schoolgirl was found in the room of a Muslim cleric in a mosque. The cleric was later taken into custody.
Police said the girl wearing a school uniform was spotted in the room of a Muslim cleric in Swami Paada, Budhana Gate, by some locals.
They raised an alarm and soon a large mob started shouting communal slogans after which the police rushed to the spot.
The cleric tried to flee the mosque from the rear gate even as the people wanted to lynch him. Police intervened and the cleric was taken into custody and sent to the Kotwali police station.
A large gathering of people reached there and shouted slogans and engaged in a spat with police.
Police had to resort to mild use of force to disperse the mob.
Some local Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders also reached the scene of tension but police pacified the two sides and dispersed them.