Communal tension in Haryana’s Samalkha town after Tiranga Yatra

Communal tension prevailed in Samalkha town of Panipat district in Haryana after hundreds of Tiranga Yatra participants barged into a mosque and raised slogans on Tuesday.

Located 30km from Panipat on the Delhi-Chandigarh national highway (NH-44), the industrial town of Samalkha has an estimated 20,000 members of the Muslim community, most of them migrant labourers from neighbouring Uttar Pradesh.

The mosque management complained that the youngsters owing allegiance to Right-wing organisations were taking out a motorcycle rally on Independence Day that came to a halt at the entrance of the mosque at Sarai Mohalla in Samalkha. Some members of the procession tried to enter the mosque forcibly but dispersed once the police team arrived on the spot, they management said.

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Police officials conducting investigation, however, said that there was no information about the organisers and participants of the rally but the authorities were taking the help of CCTV cameras to identify the culprits.

A video being shared on social media shows how a group of youngsters carrying the Tricolour stopped the motorcycle procession. Members of the minority community lodged a complaint with the police, demanding action against the accused.

Gaffar, a resident of Samalkha, said several people carrying saffron flags forcibly entered the mosque and made provoking comments.

There were only three people inside the mosque and they did not react but called up the police.

Panipat superintendent of police Ajit Singh Shekhawat said on Wednesday, “We are examining the complaint and shall take action after verifying facts.” There was no report of violence or injury to anyone, he added.

A case was registered under Section 295A of the IPC against unidentified accused. Samalkha police post in-charge said after receiving the complaint, CCTV footage of cameras at the mosque was being studied.

The management of the mosque said it had alerted the authorities and sought security on August 14 and 15. The management met Samalkha DSP Narinder Kadyan, who deputed two policemen in the area.

Meanwhile, the police are trying to identify the accused. Samalkha station house officer Sunil Kumar was unavailable for comment.

Panipat district has been tense since the killing of a 24-year-old car mechanic, Abhishek Chauhan, in communal violence in Nuh, where he had gone to join the Brij Mandal Yatra of the Vishva Hindu Parishad.

This is the second such incident in Panipat district since Abhishek’s cremation at Noorwala village on August 2. Earlier, members of Hindu outfits allegedly attacked shops and properties of minority community members and took out protest marches in the city. Eight people, including two minors, were arrested and 25 people were booked various sections of the IPC and the Arms Act.

According to the 2011 census, the Muslim population in Panipat district is about 7% and in Samalkha tehsil it is 11% of the total 3.05 lakh population.