INDIA: MOSQUE IN UP’S GORAKHPUR FOUND VANDALISED

Sat 20 February 2021:

Tension prevailed in a Gorakhpur village in Uttar Pradesh after a mosque was found vandalised on Friday morning, the police said.

The incident took place on Thursday night in Lona Sonbarsa village in Jhangha police station area of the district and came to light on Friday morning when a villager, Usman Ali, reached the mosque to offer early morning prayers, station house officer BB Rajbhar said.

Several police teams were deployed in the village, he added.

After Usman Ali entered the mosque and found damages, he informed villagers about the incident.

The police too rushed to the spot after being informed about the incident, the official said, adding a case was registered against unidentified people on the complaint of another villager Jawed Ansari.

“Some miscreants burnt religious books and a case against unidentified people was registered,” the official said.

The case was registered under sections 452 (house-trespass) 427(causing mischief and damage) and 295 (defiling place of worship with intent to insult the religion of any class) of the Indian Penal Code, Mr Rajbhar added.

Gorakhpur Additional Superintendent of Police Manoj Kumar Awasthi asked the station house officer to work out the case within 24 hours. “Several police teams have been deployed and instruction has been given to work out the case within 24 hours. Whosoever is found involved in the act will be arrested and sent to jail,” he said.