Curfew was imposed in Punjab’s only Muslim-majority town, Malerkotla, after angry mobs, infuriated by rumours about the desecration of the Quran in the US, attacked a local church, setting fire to furniture and damaging sections of the religious premises late on Sunday night.
Incensed by rumours of rightwing Florida pastor Rev. Terry Jones as going through with his public threat to burn the holy book, a rapidly growing mob of local people collected outside Malerkotla’s Friday mosque and then marched on the town’s only Christian church where they proceeded to torch furniture and attempted to demolish parts of the building.
The mob constantly raised slogans against the United States government for failing to protect the religious freedoms of the Muslim people.
Order could only be restored after several hours when police reinforcements were rushed in from nearby Sangrur city and the district administration persuaded local Muslim and Christian leaders to issue a joint appeal for peace. Punjab police vehicles were deployed to broadcast the peace call through the night and well into Monday.
Deputy inspector general Jitendra Jain described the situation as “peaceful” with no repeat of Sunday night’s violence. A large armed police contingent as well as the district SSP and DC are still camping at Malerkotla to keep a watch on things, he said.
The police registered an FIR against 150 persons, including some prominent citizens — former Nagar Council chief Mohammad Usman, Ajmat Ali Khan, Abdul Rehman, Dr Anwar Siddiqui, and Tahir Qayami.
Meanwhile, a communal situation was averted in the industrial city of Ludhiana after police intervened to dissuade local Christians and Muslims. Members of the Christian community blocked traffic outside the Cavalry Church following reports of the violence at Malerkotla. Local also began collecting at the main mosque forcing the Ludhiana district administration to impose Section 144 through most of the industrial city.