A 'mahapanchayat' convened in Haryana's Tigra village on Sunday called for the release of youths arrested in connection with the killing of a Muslim cleric on August 1, and issued a seven-day ultimatum to the police. The panchayat also demanded the removal of the Anjuman mosque in Sector 57, claiming that the area is Hindu-dominated, news agency PTI reported.
Naib Imam Mohammed Saad, 26, was killed during an attack on the Anjuman mosque by a mob in the early hours of Tuesday last week. The attack came hours after a Vishva Hindu Parishad procession was pelted with stones at Khadli Chowk in Nuh, adjoining Gurugram.
To address the matter, the panchayat formed a 101-member committee, adjourning the meeting with a warning of a "big decision" if the arrested youths are not released.
Municipal Corporation of Gurugram's outgoing councillor Mahesh Dayma stated that the committee will submit a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner on Monday, demanding the release of the four youths arrested from the village in connection with the mosque murder case. Additionally, they seek an impartial inquiry into the incident, the report said.
The panchayat's demands also include a ban on police entering the village and conducting continuous raids.
The mahapanchayat was held at Tigra village, chaired by Sarpanch Attar Singh of Mohammadpur village, as per the PTI report. Despite the implementation of Section 144, approximately 700 people from over 100 nearby villages participated in the event. Notable attendees included current and former MLAs from Sohna, Sanjay Singh and Tejpal Tanwar of the BJP, along with several councillors and sarpanchas, it said.
Former district bar association president Kulbhushan Bhardwaj demanded the resignation of Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, accusing him of being unaware of the situation in Nuh until late in the evening.
"We do not want such a Chief Minister. He should resign. We need a Chief Minister like Yogi Adityanath for such times, or else take Nuh into Uttar Pradesh. Such violence will not be tolerated anymore," Bhardwaj was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
According to the report, the panchayat occurred amidst heavy security deployment in Tigra and nearby areas, with several para-military forces and police patrolling the region from 9 am to 4 pm