Hindu extremists set fire to mosque and shot dead Imam in Haryana, India

  A Hindu mob has set fire to a mosque and shot dead a cleric in the Indian state of Haryana, which borders the capital New Delhi. The mosque in the Gurugram district of Haryana was torched Monday night by Hindu extremist elements, who opened fire there, killing a cleric identified as Maulana Saad. Two people were also injured in the attack. Gurgaon Police said in a statement that "the attackers (who set the mosque on fire) have been identified and several of them have been arrested.

The attack followed violence that erupted earlier in the day in neighboring Nuh district, when a procession organized by far-right Hindu group Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) made its way through the Muslim-dominated district. At least four people were killed in the violence, including two members of the Home Guard – a volunteer force that helps police control riots. At least 20 others were injured. "The procession was supposed to move from one temple to another, but clashes broke out between two groups on the way, resulting in the death of four people," Krishan Kumar, spokesman for Nuh Police, told Reuters. Bans were imposed in Gurugram in the wake of the violence and schools and colleges in the district were ordered to remain closed on Tuesday.

Curfews were also imposed in Nuh, where the internet was also switched off. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's push for "Hindu first" has heightened inter-ethnic tensions in India since he came to power in 2014. The latest incidents come in the wake of escalating violence against India's Muslim minority by Hindu nationalists, who have been encouraged by Modi's silence on such attacks since he came to power. Over the years, Indian Muslims have often been targeted for everything from their eating and dressing styles to interfaith marriages. Critics say these tensions have been exacerbated by right-wing Indian TV presenters during heated televised debates. International human rights groups have warned such attacks could escalate. They have accused Modi's ruling party of looking the other way and sometimes enabling hate speech against Muslims, who make up 14% of India's 1.4 billion people but are still numerous enough to be the second-largest Muslim population of any nation.