By Waquar Hasan

NEW DELHI: A 600-year-old mosque in Uttar Pradesh’s Mirzapur district was set on fire in the early hours of Tuesday while the imam was sleeping inside. Police have arrested five accused—Ranjit Seth, Rohit Gupta, Ganesh, Prince Maurya, and Raushan—after registering an FIR on charges related to desecration of a religious place and use of explosives.

Local journalist Saddam Hussain Ansari told The Hindustan Gazette that the arson took place around midnight when unidentified individuals sprayed petrol on the mosque and set it ablaze. Residents who noticed the fire gathered at the site and reportedly saw the perpetrators fleeing. CCTV footage later confirmed the accused in the act.

“Only investigation can bring out the motive behind the burning of the mosque. They may attempt to create communal violence between Hindus and Muslims. There is only one mosque in the area,” Ansari said.

According to the Additional SP of Mirzapur, some persons vandalized the gate of the mosque after consuming alcohol.

“There was an incident at the police station where information was received that some boys, after drinking alcohol, damaged the gate of a religious place. Upon receiving this information, a case was immediately registered under relevant sections, and the boys were identified, arrested, and sent to judicial custody. Peace has been restored, and the necessary action is underway,” he said.

Imam Zahid Qadri, who was asleep inside the mosque, said he was awakened by a local youth who informed him of the fire. He quickly doused the flames and alerted the police.

“The people who have set the mosque on fire are anti-social elements. This is a historical, oldest, and prominent mosque of the area. Such incident never happened in the area. People live here in communal harmony,” Qadri said.

“We want to appeal to the administration to give strict punishment to the culprits so that a message is sent out that this is the punishment for those who disturb communal harmony,” he added.

This story was originally published in thehindustangazette.com. Read the full story here.