Islamabad (Anantnag), Oct 18: Unidentified persons Thursday tried to torch a Masjid at Bijbehara here in south Kashmir.
 Locals said that some unidentified miscreants tried to set ablaze a local Masjid in Housing Colony area of Bijbehara town after the afternoon prayers. “As soon as the afternoon prayers concluded the locals spotted smoke emanating from the first floor of the Masjid,” residents said.
 “We could smell something burning while we were offering prayers. After prayers concluded we found the smoke emanating from the first floor and a major tragedy was averted,” said a resident.
 He said that they rushed with the buckets of water and managed to douse the flames.
 “The fire had been lit at five different places on the first floor which clearly suggests that it was a deliberate attempt to set ablaze the Masjid,” said a resident Khurshid Ahmad.
 He said that the carpets of the first floor of the Masjid were damaged in the inferno.
 Locals however ruled out any sectarian motives behind the blaze incident. “We are living in harmony and there never has been any sectarian strife in our locality,” locals added.
 They said the incident was a handiwork of miscreants hell bent upon disrupting peace and sowing the seeds of discord among the locals.
 Meanwhile, the senior officials from district administration and police rushed to the spot immediately to take stock of the situation. The Forensic Science Laboratory officials (FSL) have taken the samples and the investigation has been initiated into the matter,” said a police official.
 He also termed it as a mischief and an attempt to vitiate the peaceful atmosphere.
 The incident is the second of its kind in a week’s time in Islamabad district only. Earlier this week some miscreants had tried to torch a Sufi Shrine of Hazrat Hyder Baba Reshi (RAH) popularly called Hardi Reeshi or Reshmolu in Dabrun village here in south Kashmir. However the timely intervention of the locals saved major damage to the Shrine.

Lastupdate on : Thu, 18 Oct 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Thu, 18 Oct 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Fri, 19 Oct 2012 00:00:00 IST