Communal clashes caused over a mosque toilet have left a number of people fleeing homes and the deaths of two people.
The clash has made at least 25 Muslim families flee their homes in an Aligarh village, said the officials on the 11th of November.
A firewood shop was burnt down on Friday night despite additional security personnel deployed in Khurrampur Nagla Mewati village, about 20 km from Aligarh.
About 155 Muslims who fled the village are unwilling to return as tension ran high in the area. The village had an estimated 2,000 people before the clashes on November 9.
Two people who died have been identified; one was identified as only Hasin while the second was Ramveer Sharma (50) who died on Thursday in the hospital. Sharma was injured and admitted to a hospital where he died, officials said.
Showing their support, the BJP came to the hospital and later blocked a key road. The blockade was lifted once the administrative stepped in.
Sharma had allegedly led a group of Hindus to demolish the toilet attached to a mosque when the clashes started. The toilet was constructed on his land, although without his knowledge.
Sharma had been seeking the administrative permission to demolish the toilet; he has sought documents to clear the confusion over the toilet land said Aligarh district magistrate Rishikesh Bhaskar Yashod.
However, the Muslims blame the Hindu leaders for politicizing the situation.
“Politicians, particularly from BJP, are giving it (the incident) a communal color. As MPs and MLAs have interfered in the incident, the administration is under pressure. Muslim families have deserted the village leaving behind their domestic animals. We will only return to the village when the administration guarantees us security,” said Aslam, a relative of Hasin.
Another villager, Ashok Singh, said the clashes have broken the village’s centuries-old communal harmony. “The administration should deal with the incident in an impartial way,” he added.
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