A man attempted to set fire to a Shankaracharya mutt (monastic institution) in the Muslim-dominated Bharuch town of Gujarat early on Friday, the police reported. The incident was captured on a CCTV camera, prompting the police to rush to the scene and initiate an investigation to apprehend the culprit.
The district superintendent of police, Mayur Chavda, confirmed that the incident occurred at the religious institution located in the Navchowki Ovara area along River Narmada.
According to Chavda, at around 5:30 AM, an individual threw what looked like some combustible material at the door of the Shankaracharya mutt in an attempt to set it ablaze. The act was captured on CCTV, and various teams have been formed to conduct a thorough investigation into the case. An FIR has also been registered in connection with the incident.
The man, dressed in black and wearing a white skull cap, was seen throwing some stuff at the mutt door before setting it on fire. A handwritten message, ‘Gustakh-e-Rasool ki Saza, Sar tan se juda‘ (Punishment for one who insults Islam’s prophet: His head will be severed), was found on papers thrown towards the door.
The priest of the mutt stated that when he returned after performing puja at the adjacent temple around 5 am, his neighbour Dilip Dave informed him that a person was throwing material at the mutt door. The Muslim man then proceeded to set the door on fire, which the priest managed to extinguish.
Upon reviewing the CCTV footage, it was discovered that the intruder had gained access to the premises from the river bank, targeting both the Shankaracharya mutt and the temple. The police told reporters they had launched a thorough investigation into the matter, assigning multiple teams to the case.
