Ajmer: Maulana beaten to death inside mosque
What's the story
A 32-year-old maulana, Muhammed Maheer, was beaten to death by unknown assailants inside a mosque in Ajmer, Rajasthan.
The incident occurred late Friday night, while Maheer was asleep in his room inside the mosque, according to the Hindustan Times.
Originally from Uttar Pradesh, Maheer had been residing in Ajmer for several years and served as the head of the Ramganj village mosque.
Attack details
Maheer was responsible for the education of 10-15 children
Ravindra Khinchi, the house officer (SHO) of Ajmer's Ramganj police station, stated that 10-15 students used to stay with him as pupils.
At the time of the attack, most students had left for the Eid holidays, leaving only five behind.
Khinchi said the assailants entered the mosque with their faces covered in a black piece of cloth and attacked the maulana with blunt objects, including rods.
Investigation progress
Children managed to escape, alert locals
The attackers also seized all mobile phones to prevent anyone from quickly contacting the police.
However, the children managed to escape and alert locals, who discovered Maheer's body.
By the time police arrived, the assailants had fled, leaving their weapons behind.
"We have already seized the murder weapons," confirmed Khinchi, adding that a Forensic Science Laboratory team is analyzing these weapons and CCTV footage to identify the culprits.
Public reaction
Local residents protest, demand action against the accused
Following the incident, local residents expressed their anger, staging a protest demanding immediate action against the perpetrators.
A group of Muslim devotees submitted a memorandum to district collector Bharati Dixit, requesting increased security for those living in the mosque.
SHO Khinchi assured, "We have formed an extra police force in the area considering the law and order situation... Necessary action will be taken against the accused."