FARIDABAD: About 100 Muslims who took refuge in a police station after a communal flare-up over building of a mosque at a village here 9 days ago returned home today following an assurance by local authorities that minority community members would be protected.
All the people who had taken refuge in a make-shift relief camp at Ballabhgarh police station went back to their homes by this evening, said Police Commissioner Subhash Yadav.
As the standoff ended, members of the two communities hugged each other.
The area had become a flash point of communal violence on May 25 when a mosque was being built on a land, resulting in violence and arson in which five persons were injured and 20 houses set on fire, forcing about 100 people from minority community to take shelter at Ballabgarh police station.
The standoff was resolved today in the presence of representatives from both the communities at a meeting organized at the Panchayat Bhawan in which Subhash Yadav and Deputy Commissioner Amit Agrawal assured the minority community members of complete security and all possible help.
Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment Krishan Pal Gurjar said the victims of the violence would be given compensation at the earliest to have their houses repaired.
The deadlock ended after mediation by Krishan Pal Gurjar, the Lok Sabha MP from Faridabad, Education Minister of Haryana Ram Bilas Sharma, MLA from Ballabgarh Moolchand Sharma, MLA from Prithla Tek Chand Sharma, PWD Minister Rao Narvir Singh, Deputy Commissioner Faridabad Amit Kumar Agrawal, SDM Ballabgarh Priyanka Soni and Subhash Yadav.
Gurjar said that the minority community should be assured of their protection and also asked the majority community members to maintain brotherhood.
He said that no hooliganism by any of the communities will be tolerated.
Also present on the occasion were District president BJP Ajay Gaur, Senior BJP leader Nayanpal Rawat and Narendra Gupta.
Congress leader Ashok Tanwar today visited the communal violence affected Atali village along with a delegation and called for an amicable solution to the difference between the two communities.
He said both communities need to take steps to avoid any such incidents in future and claimed the local administration of not taking adequate steps in time to avoid the incident.
Accusing the state government of following the policy of divide and rule, he said people should join hands to stand against such powers.
President Minority committee of All India Congress Committee Khurshid Sayyed who was part of the delegation said the incident is an attack on the constitutional rights of the citizens.
On this occasion Swami Agniwesh was also present among others.