Haryana mosque allegedly built with Lashkar funds; CM Khattar presses for 'proper investigation'

A day ago, reports said that Khulafala-e-Rashideen mosque, located at Uttawar Village in Haryana's Palwal district has come under the scanner of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) after a probe by the central agency revealed that it was allegedly built with the help of funds received from Pakistan-based terror organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

Image tweeted by ANI

New Delhi: Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar pressed for a proper investigation of a mosque after controversy erupted over it in the wake of recent media reports claiming that it was built with funds from the terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).  While addressing reporters, Khattar said that only a proper investigation could throw light on the matter. The reports claimed that the mosque had come under the scanner of security agencies after it was found that it was allegedly built with funds from LeT. Khattar told the reporters that the issue has come to the notice of the government but only after proper investigations they can know what kind of issue it is and then only the required action will be taken. News agency PTI quoted Khattar as saying: “the government’s job is to maintain a sense of security in the society and for this, if anyone does any wrongdoing, if anyone commits a crime, we will use any agency needed for investigations. But there is no question of misuse or targeting anyone...” At a press conference in Chandigarh, senior Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala, when asked to comment on the matter, said, "If it is true, then it is worrisome". A day ago, news agency ANI reported that Khulafala-e-Rashideen mosque, located at Uttawar Village in Haryana's Palwal district has come under the scanner of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) after a probe by the central agency revealed that it was allegedly built with the help of funds received from Pakistan-based terror organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). It was searched by the NIA officers on October 3, days after its sleuths arrested three men, including the Imam (priest) of the mosque, Mohammad Salman, in New Delhi in a terror funding case, the agency reported. The LeT is a terror outfit of Mumbai attack mastermind and US-designate terrorist Hafiz Saeed. As per the report, the NIA is further questioning the office bearers of the mosque and is scrutinizing the account books, while, details of donations and documents have been seized. (With inputs from agencies)