By Jehangir Ali
New Delhi: Violent clashes broke out in Jammu’s Kathua district on Saturday, June 29, after local administration officials attempted to raze to the ground a mosque allegedly built on public land in a Muslim-majority area, prompting the political parties to demand a probe.
A deputy superintendent of J&K police is among the six police officials who were injured when the residents of Nagri locality clashed with the demolition squad, prompting the administration to deploy additional reinforcements in the area. A woman officer was among the injured as well.
Contradictions
Witnesses said that a posse of police personnel along with the district administration officials of Kathua arrived in Nagri locality along with three to four bulldozers at around 6 am on Saturday to tear down a mosque and other structure allegedly built on government land.
Locals said that the mosque was built some eight to 10 years ago and it was recently renovated. However, some reports said that it was recently constructed.
While the officials said that the mosque was built on public land, locals of Nagri said that the administration didn’t take their elders into confidence before taking the drastic move, which sparked anger among the villagers.
“After hearing the news of impending demolition, local residents, including women and elderly, came out of their homes. Initially, they urged the demolition squad to stop the drive while putting themselves in the way of the bulldozer. However, the officials didn’t relent,” said a local, who didn’t want to be named.
This story was originally published in thewire.in. Read the full story here.
