New Delhi: A mosque in Dwarka’s Sector 11, a fairly affluent residential suburb in the south west region of the city, was attacked allegedly by few men shouting ‘Jai Shri Ram’ on Friday, February 28, at around 2 am in the morning.
Post noon, DCP Dwarka refuted claims that the incident took place.
Rumours of stone pelting at a religious place by a mob chanting religious slogans in Dwarka are completely false.
Public is advised not to pay attention to or spread rumours/ fake news on social media.@DelhiPolice@CPDelhi— DCP/Dwarka, Delhi (@DCPDwarka) February 28, 2020
However, when The Wire visited the area early on Friday, police themselves were visibly making arrangements to fix the window pane that had been shattered – allegedly with a pelted stone – so that further panic could be avoided.
Inside the mosque. Photo: Pawanjot Kaur
This attack happened after Delhi’s north east region saw gruesome and communally targeted violence since February 24, in which 42 people have lost their lives. Temples, mosques, shops and schools belonging to both the Hindu and Muslim communities have been destroyed.
Along with stones, there were broken glass bottles near the mosque’s premises. It is suspected that the attackers were drunk and that this wasn’t a “planned attack”.
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“At around 2 am, I was sleeping in my room on the terrace of the mosque. I heard something break or fall inside the mosque. At first, I thought that the loud thuds were because of the wind. But it was actually the sound of breaking glass. When the guard and I rushed downstairs, we saw stones strewn all over the carpet of the mosque. From inside the mosque, we couldn’t see or identify the people who did this but heard them shout ‘Jai Shri Ram’,” Mannan, the muezzin of the Dwarka Masjid said. However, The Wire was not able to independently verify this claim.
Shattered window panes of the mosque. Photo: Pawanjot Kaur
A portion on the bottom right of the glass of the mosque, situated at least 30-feet from the ground was broken.
Imran Khan, a member of the managing committee of the Shahjahanabad Society (a Muslim-majority housing complex) and Abrar Ahmed, the convener of the Masjid Society Trust suspect that 10-12 stones were pelted in quick succession and were well-aimed.
“The glass on the windows are quite strong. They can’t be smashed so easily, this seems like a well-planned attack on us,” said Ahmed.
The mosque is situated in a lane off the Sector 11 main road. A narrow lane that leads to the mosque is rocky and has no street lights. The lane right in the front of the road has no street lights either. There are poles that The Wire saw, but the lights don’t work, confirmed locals.
“The ACP has ordered more CCTV cameras to be installed here,” said Khan.
The complex adjacent to the mosque. Photo: Pawanjot Kaur
The compound of the mosque is adjacent to a complex that is still under construction. Imran Khan confirmed to The Wire that the complex belongs to one of the government ministries. So either the attackers entered the complex, picked up the stones from the construction site or they pelted huge stones (the ones seen in the video below) from the back-lane, which is quite far.
The distance between the back lane and the mosque. Photo: Pawanjot Kaur
The police present on the spot said they are trying to trace the identity of the perpetrators by CCTV footage of the neighbouring societies, but at the moment their aim is to strengthen security in the area so that things don’t escalate.
Saad Majid, owner of a take-away restaurant called Majid’s in Sector 10 of Dwarka said he thought that the mosque was attacked with the motive of spreading fear. “This attack is to convey a message ‘we have come for you’,” said Majid.
There is fear among Muslim residents of the area but Khan, who is also a theatre artist, told The Wire that they are very cautiously circulating the photos and videos of the attacked mosque on WhatsApp. When they are sharing the photos in closed groups, they are sending a disclaimer with it too. The disclaimer requests people to not create any panic.
A damaged bark of a tree inside the mosque compound. Photo: Pawanjot Kaur
“Something like this has never happened in Dwarka, I have been living here for the last nine years,” said Khan.
“We organise a free medical checkup camp every weekend for the people of Dwarka, we have also welcomed ‘Nagar Kirtan’ to the mosque from the nearby gurudwara as a gesture of peace and unity.
“The head priest of the gurudwara also delivered a lecture on Guru Nanak at the nearby Shahjahanabad housing complex this year”
Abrar Ahmed said that the police’s response to their calls was very quick and commendable. The attack happened at 2 am and the police reportedly reached there within an hour. “We called the deputy SHO Mr Meena who quickly sent forces at the site of the attack,” he said.