An imam and three worshippers narrowly escaped death after unidentified persons allegedly attempted to set a mosque on fire late on Wednesday night during Ramzan in Haryana. The men were inside the mosque observing Itikaf, a spiritual seclusion practised during the final ten days of the holy month.
The incident occurred at a mosque in Tikri Brahmin village under the Sadar Police Station limits in Palwal at around 1:25 am on March 11.
According to a complaint filed by the mosque’s imam, Zuber, he and three others — Iqbal, Hanif and Sohail — were asleep inside the premises when they woke up after smelling smoke. They soon realised that smoke was coming from inside the mosque and discovered that a fire had broken out.
The four rushed out of the building and alerted nearby villagers. The blaze was brought under control before it could spread to other parts of the religious structure.
Varun Singla, Superintendent of Police of Palwal, said a case has been registered against a man identified as Ramroop and several unidentified persons. Police are examining CCTV footage from the surrounding area to identify those involved in the incident.
Authorities have also warned of strict legal action against anyone attempting to incite communal tensions in the village.
Palwal has previously witnessed communal tensions, including an incident in 2025 when unrest was triggered by allegations of religious conversion linked to the same mosque, leading to the arrest of several Muslims.
Reacting to the incident, a local resident told The Observer Post that the situation was worrying and questioned why Muslims were being harassed, warning that such actions could push the country towards serious unrest.