Key Takeaways
- Police attribute incident to alcohol-influenced vandalism
- Five individuals arrested for setting fire to 600-year-old mosque
- Imam awakened by local youth, extinguished flames before major damage
MIRZAPUR — A 600-year-old mosque in Uttar Pradesh’s Mirzapur district was set on fire early Tuesday while the imam slept inside, leading to the arrest of five individuals.
Police identified the accused as Ranjit Seth, Rohit Gupta, Ganesh, Prince Maurya, and Raushan, charging them with desecration of a religious place and use of explosives.
The arson occurred around midnight when individuals sprayed petrol on the mosque and ignited it, according to local journalist Saddam Hussain Ansari.
Residents gathering at the scene reported seeing perpetrators fleeing, with CCTV footage later confirming their identities. Imam Zahid Qadri, asleep inside the building, was awakened by a youth who alerted him to the fire, enabling him to extinguish the flames before significant structural damage occurred.
Mirzapur Additional SP stated the incident involved individuals who damaged the mosque gate after consuming alcohol. “A case was immediately registered under relevant sections, and the boys were identified, arrested, and sent to judicial custody,” the officer confirmed, adding that peace had been restored in the area.
Imam Qadri described the mosque as historical and prominent, noting such incidents previously never occurred in the communally harmonious locality.
“We want strict punishment for the culprits so a message is sent,” he stated, emphasizing the attack was carried out by anti-social elements rather than representing community tensions.
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