New Delhi: The members of a a right-wing outfit on Friday torched two houses belonging to a Muslim man after accusing him of kidnapping a Hindu woman in Agra, police said.
According to police, the members of Dharam Jagran Samanvay Sangh set ablaze a house of a gym owner Sajid in Agra’s Runakta area on Friday. An adjoining house, belonging to his family, was also set on fire. Police arrested eight people involved in the mob attack.
Notably, the 22-year-old woman, a class 11 student, went missing on Monday and was traced back by police two days later. However, Sajid’s whereabouts could not be discovered.
Although her family members lodged a missing report, in a video that surfaced on social media, the woman said she is an adult and had gone willingly with the man.
However, the members of the group have been demanding the arrest of the man they accused of kidnapping the woman. Due to the agitation, the shops in the local Runakta market also downed shutters on Friday.
There have been no reports of injuries in the attack on the gym owner's house.
After the incident, the police post in-charge has been suspended over negligence and an investigation has been ordered against the Sikandra station house officer.
“If found guilty, action will be taken against him as well," news agency PTI quoted Agra's Senior Superintendent of Police, Sudheer Kumar Singh, as saying.
Both are adults, the SSP said, adding police will produce the woman in court. There has been a delay in this due to the holidays.
He said an FIR has been registered against the members of the group that set the houses on fire.