5 injured in clash between two groups in Delhi
New Delhi : At least five persons including a minor girl were injured in a clash between two groups of locals over seeking passage allegedly through a Waqf Board land in the national capital on Friday, police said.
The incident occurred around 6 p.m when the two groups in Begumpur area of south Delhi indulged in a clash following blocking of a passage used by over 200 families staying in Valmiki Camp. The passage that connects the camp area with the main Malviya Nagar road has a madrasa on its side and a mosque close to it, the police said.
According to Maulana Mohammad Ali Johar, a group of 15-20 local youths staying in Valmiki Camp barged into the mosque and attacked one Mumtaz and his family members with stones.
"Two locals Mahipal and Kakku also pelted stones at Mumtaz's wife, Shabana. When their neighbours Liyaqat Ali and his wife Saroj Khan came to the rescue of Shabana, the attackers also thrashed them. In the melee, Saroj Khan's minor daughter received injuries as well," Johar said.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Vijay Kumar said the injured persons have been admitted to a nearby hospital.
"Apparently, the clash seems to have erupted over the opening of the passage near madrasa for the use of the Valmiki Camp residents," Kumar said.
The victims' family members alleged that Valmiki Camp was set up on the land belonging to Waqf Board. "Locals had encroached upon it and now they also want to encroach the land of both madarsa and mosque," Johar said.
"As per an earlier meeting with DCP Vijay Kumar, we had agreed to give the Valmiki Camp residents an alternative way from the back side of madarsa land. But they don't want to allow us to stay here peacefully. Locals sometimes throw liquor bottles on the roof of mosque and madarsa. When we started constructing a wall on the way, they attacked us," Johar alleged.
In a similar incident, some locals youth had earlier on October 25 this year beaten to death a Muslim youth over the dominance of ground in front of madarsa.
