Quran ‘desecration’ case cracked : The Tribune India

Join Whatsapp Channel

Quran ‘desecration’ case cracked

JALANDHAR: After a man was arrested for allegedly desecrating the Quran at a mosque in Nakodar a fortnight ago, he was found innocent in the case by the police which arrested the real culprit today.

Quran ‘desecration’ case cracked

SSP (Rural) Navjot Singh Mahal addresses the media in Jalandhar on Saturday. Sarabjit Singh



Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, August 3

After a man was arrested for allegedly desecrating the Quran at a mosque in Nakodar a fortnight ago, he was found innocent in the case by the police which arrested the real culprit today.

Shaukat Ali, a resident of Khanpur Dhadda village, who the police said was the real culprit in the case was arrested by the Jalandhar rural police today.

The police said Shaukat had admitted to committing the crime. SSP (Rural) Navjot Singh Mahal said during investigation, it was also found that no religious books were burnt at the mosque, when the incident occurred a month ago.

Shaukat has been remanded to two days in police custody.

Meanwhile, Sharif Mohammed, alias Vicky, who is the caretaker of a mazar (tomb) of the same mosque — who was earlier arrested by the police for desecration – has been cleared of all charges. Sharif remained in jail for 10 days. The police said personal enmity and jealousy were seemed to be the motive behind the incident.

On July 6, an arson took place at the mosque in Khanpur Dhadda village.

Mukhtiar Ali, a resident of Khanpur Dhadda, told the police that on July 6, when he reached the main gate of the mosque at 5 am, he found the outer gate opened and the lock of the entrance gate broken, which frightened him. Rather than entering the mosque, he went to his brother Shaukat Ali and both of them, along with others, entered the mosque and found that all three religious books, along with mats and bed sheets, were lying burnt on the floor.

The police said Mukhtiar, along with his brothers Ali, Sahil Mohammad, Sabar Ali, all residents of Khanpur Dhadda, misled the police by blaming Sharif Mohammed (their distant cousin) for the incident. A case under Sections 295-A of the IPC was lodged against Sharif at the Sadar Nakodar police station. Sharif was arrested under Sections 41(1), CrPC.

Amid resentment within the Muslim community members and demand to arrest the culprit at the earliest, a special investigation team (SIT) comprising Ravinder Pal Singh Sandhu, SP, headquarters, Parminder Singh Heer, SP, Punjab Bureau of Investigation, and Vatsala Gupta, ASP, sub-division, Nakodar, Amandeep Singh Brar, DSP (major crime), Inspector Shiv Kumar, CIA Staff, Inspector Zamil Mohammad, SHO (city), Nakodar, and Sikander Singh, SHO, Sadar Nakodar, was formed.

To maintain law and order, a five-member co-ordination committee, comprising members Kalim Azad, Mazhar Ali, Jabbar Khan, Naeen Khan and Sattar Mohammad, was also constituted.

Following the SIT investigation, Shaukat Ali was found to be the real culprit.

The SSP said the Quran Sharif was not in the mosque and Shaukat had handed it to his nephew, who is studying in Malerkotla. The books burnt in the mosque were of physics and English, which accused brought from his home. He broke down water taps and also threw the broken lock at the scene of crime, to make the scene look credible. His motive of committing the act was to cause trouble for Sharif Mohammed since a lot of people used to visit the mosque and he did not had a good relation with Sharif.

The SSP said the Quran Sharif had been placed in the mosque with dignity.


Burnt books were of physics, English: Cops

The police said the Quran was not in the mosque and Shaukat had handed it to his nephew, who is studying in Malerkotla. The books burnt in the mosque were of physics and English, which accused brought from his home. He broke down water taps and also threw the broken lock at the scene of crime, to make the scene look credible. His motive of committing the act was to cause trouble for Sharif Mohammed since a lot of people used to visit the mosque and he did not had a good relation with Sharif.

Top News

'When government changes...': Rahul Gandhi after Rs 1,800 crore fresh I-T notice to Congress

'When government changes...': Rahul Gandhi after Rs 1,800 crore fresh I-T notice to Congress

The Congress leader accuses the BJP of indulging in ‘tax ter...

Chief Judicial Magistrate's court in UP's Banda orders judicial inquiry into death of gangster-politician Mukhtar Ansari

UP court orders judicial probe into gangster-politician Mukhtar Ansari’s death, seeks report in a month

Ghazipur MP Afzal Ansari on Tuesday alleged that his brother...

‘Heart attack or poisoning’: The life and times of Mukhtar Ansari—crime and politics

‘Heart attack or poisoning’: The life and times of Mukhtar Ansari—crime and politics

Eastern parts of Uttar Pradesh are among the poorest regions...

CBI files chargesheet against 20 institutes, 105 individuals in Himachal Pradesh multi-crore scholarship scam

CBI files chargesheet against 20 institutes, 105 individuals in Himachal Pradesh multi-crore scholarship scam

22 educational institutions were on CBI radar in the scholar...


Cities

View All