Houses of Muslim family set afire in Bhiwani village

Houses of a family belonging to the minority community were ransacked and set ablaze by a group of unidentified masked men in Dhani Mahu village of Bhiwani district today. The two houses belong to Hussain, a resident of the village.

The police and the fire brigade rushed to the village and took control of the situation. The family is not present in the village.

Tosham police station SHO Mahavir Singh said the police rushed to the spot on getting information and also called up the fire tenders which doused the blaze. A heavy police force has been deployed in the village.

Bhiwani SP Manbir Singh said a group of 15-20 persons, mostly from the same village, set the houses on fire when the family was away. The police have identified the assailants and started investigation after registering an FIR. So far, the police have no details about the motive. The SP refused to confirm any communal angle behind the incident. He said the family members have approached the police with their complaint. When asked whether there was any need to provide security cover to the family, the SP said that they would take action as the investigation proceeds in the matter.

The villagers and even the neighbours of these houses have refused to divulge any details that might indicate the cause of the incident.

Sources indicated that a meeting of some persons had been held in the village in the morning today after which this incident took place. They said that the matter seemed to be related to the marriage of a girl in the family.