An armed mob of about 1,000 people stormed and ravaged a madrasa (Islamic religious school) in India, setting the institution’s 110-year-old library on fire and causing widespread damage, including a collection of over 4,500 books.

A 110-year-old library was vandalised by the armed mob of around 1,000 Hindu extremists. The saffron mob threw petrol bombs into the mosque and the library, reports ⁦@meerfaisal01⁩ https://t.co/AKMxlhdRNt

— Indian American Muslim Council (@IAMCouncil) April 3, 2023

Mohammad Siyabuddin, the mosque’s imam and caretaker of the Madrasa Azizia, witnessed how the mob, presumably composed of Hindu nationalists, caused destruction in the Murarpur locality in the eastern Indian city of Bihar Sharif during the attacks. 

Aside from the madrasa, the mosque’s minaret was also destroyed, and the area’s district administration is currently repairing the tower.

See how they burn the Madarsa and our holy books... pic.twitter.com/f42BE2KcuH

— Mohammad Hashim Ali (@iam_Hashim1) April 3, 2023

“We had just finished Friday prayers when violence erupted at Gagan Diwan locality near Hotel City Palace. A mob then entered the madrasa and started hurling stones.” Siyabuddin recalled.

“A member of the mosque’s peace committee was threatened to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram.’ They threw petrol bombs into the mosque and the library and set vehicles parked on the premises on fire,” Siyabuddin added.

The imam added that even though the attack started in the afternoon, authorities did not respond and reach the spot where the mob began vandalizing by around 11 PM. During that time, the damage had already been done.

“Two children were trapped in a room filled with smoke. If I had not reached there on time, we would have lost them,” Siyabuddin also said.

Petrol bombs were found all over the scene where the attack occurred, including in the now-destroyed library and outside the madrasa’s 22 classrooms. The institution accommodates over 450 students and is spread over six acres. The madrasa was supposedly closed for Ramadan, but the mob managed to break the lock and infiltrate the campus.

“It is unfortunate that rare books were burnt in the attack, which was carried out with the intention of hampering the education of children,“ Sarfaraz Mallik, a lawyer working for the Bihar Sharif court, said. He resided near the madrasa.

“They were armed with swords and rods and were chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram.’ I ran away from the spot, but they took ₹3,500 from my room.” Mohan Bahadur, one of the madrasa’s guards, narrated. Although the mob attacked him, he said he was able to flee.

Eyewitness accounts said sectarian violence occurred during the Ram Navami procession on March 31st. It’s one of the most important religious festivals for the Hindu-majority country.

The mob also allegedly placed saffron flags on several shops where the violence broke out before setting them on fire. Shatrughan Prasad, a resident of Bihar Sharif, said that such communal violence has not occurred in the city since 1981.

Authorities said that 77 people were arrested on April 2 for participating in the violence, with one death reported by the police on the evening of April 1st. Internet services were temporarily suspended for two days.

“So far, 77 people have been arrested and 12 FIRs lodged. A flag march was conducted to maintain peace in the area. Adequate paramilitary personnel have been deployed to control the situation,” Ashok Mishra, police superintendent of the Bihar state’s Nalanda district, said.