Two persons were arrested after they locked a local mosque and prevented the Imam from entering the place of worship in south west Delhi’s Bijwasan village, said a senior police officer on Sunday.

Police said that two locals in inebriated state locked the main door of the mosque on Saturday evening and restricted the Imam and others from entering the premises. A local informed the police about the incident.

“A police team rushed to the location and two persons, identified as Manjit Khatri and Pramod, were held and taken to Kapashera Police station for further investigation. The lock was removed and the mosque was open to everyone,” said a police officer.

The officer said that a mandir and mosque were located adjacently in the village and a few anti-social elements had tried to disrupt the peace. The arrested persons, however, are not affiliated to any group.

“A meeting with people from peace committee and locality were held to maintain peace in the area. We have deployed police personnel to avoid any clash,” added the officer.

Uneasy past

A local said that there are only a few houses of Muslims in the area, dominated by Hindus. In the past, an anti-social had tried to disrupt peace by targeting the only mosque in the village by restricting outsiders to visit the mosque for Friday prayers. A few locals had earlier threatened and abused the Imam and asked him to vacate the area. A complaint was made to the police.

The officer added that they have taken appropriate legal action against the accused persons and they have been sent to jail.