A Muslim man, who took part in Kanwar Yatra, was allegedly stopped from offering namaz at a mosque in Baghpat on Sunday, prompting the police to arrest three persons in this connection after some Hindu organisations came out in support of the ‘victim’ and offered protection to him.
“I had gone to Haridwar as a kanwar and had offered Gangajal at the temples. Some of my acquaintances knew about this. On Friday, when I went to a mosque to offer namaz , some people assaulted me there and stopped me from offering the namaz. They even forced me to run away from there,” Babu Khan said in his complaint to the police.
Khan, a resident of Racharh village in Baghpat, alleged that his wife and children became scared after he was beaten up and went to live with their relatives.
Inspector Devendra Bisht said, “On the basis of the complaint filed by Babu Khan, three persons have been arrested for disrupting peace and efforts are on to nab another person who id absconding.”
Police along with prominent citizens of the area are making efforts to resolve the issue through talks and are trying to thrash out an amicable solution.
The police said the atmosphere in the village was peaceful at present and a police force was camping in the area.
The accused, however, alleged that Babu Khan was trying to enter the mosque in an inebriated state and hence he was stopped from entering there. They alleged that Khan played up the Kanwar Yatra card to save his skin.
Meanwhile, district president of Hindu Jagran Manch, Deepak Banmauli, said, “The Manch is with Babu Khan and if anyone harasses him, we will not tolerate it.”
In the Hindu holy month of Shravan, kanwariyas (devouts carrying Ganga water) offer prayers at Shiva temples.