Ahead of state elections, an incident of burning of pages of the Holy Quran was reported from Jamtara district, Jharkhand on Monday, with an alleged attempt to stir communal tensions. However, after the news spread among the locals, people of both Muslim and Hindu communities unitedly condemned the act.
Unidentified perpetrators allegedly took the Holy scripture from the Madina Masjid in Fatehpur Bazar and burned its pages, in a field about 250-300 meters away from the mosque. The charred remains of the pages were later discovered by the locals, and soon after, the police reached the location and started investigating the case, according to local media reports.
People here live in brotherhood with each other, said a religious leader, Maulana Zulfikar Nizami of the mosque. He expressed his concerns saying, “In a first of its kind in the area where people of all communities lived together peacefully, there are speculations of an attempt to disrupt the communal harmony.”
Calling it an act of anti-social elements, the police urged the citizens to maintain law and order and remain alert for any possible wrongdoing or disruptive activities by the miscreants.
The burnt remains of the Quran were collected in cloth by the people of the Muslim community for burial. DC Shashibhushan Mehra and SP Animesh Naithani reached the local police station and are inquiring about the incident. Fatehpur Police Station in charge Alok Kumar assured the public that the investigation is underway and the miscreants will be detained.
As per a report by Hindustan, the police have stationed at the Fatehpur market. Given law and order, the India Reserve Battalion (IRB) Jhiluva Camp personnel were deputed. Kumar stated that they are committed to maintaining peace and order, and will take swift action to find the individuals responsible for the incident, and those who attempted to disturb the peace.
