Rioting has continued in Delhi for the third consecutive night, with reports of Muslim homes and shops being targeted by violent mobs.
Twenty-three people have been killed so far in the deadliest violence the Indian capital has seen in decades.
The clashes first broke out on Sunday between protesters for and against a controversial citizenship law.
But they have since taken on communal overtones, with reports of people being attacked based on their religion.
Photographs, videos, and accounts on social media paint a chilling image of a city on the edge. There are reports of arson, of groups of men with sticks, iron rods and stones wandering the streets and of Hindus and Muslims facing off.
According to local reports, the mosque was surrounded by angry mobs shouting ultranationalist Indian slogans while placing a “Hanuman flag” on the top of the mosque.
Two Indian journalists were allegedly attacked by a mob when they were reporting about the burning mosque, as reported by the Week.
Another mosque was vandalized on Tuesday afternoon. Widely shared footage showed men trying to rip the crescent from the top of the minaret.
The violence is centered on Muslim-majority neighborhoods in north-east Delhi – such as Maujpur, Mustafabad, Jaffrabad, and Shiv Vihar – just 18km (11 miles) from the heart of the capital.
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Many, including journalists, have tweeted and spoken of mobs demanding to know their religion. At least one photojournalist has said he was asked to remove his pants to prove his identity.
Most Muslim men are circumcised as it is considered to be an important part of their religion.
India’s Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which eases the path for non-Muslims from neighboring Muslim-majority nations to gain citizenship, has triggered weeks of sometimes violent protests against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. The law is seen by its opponents as discriminating against Muslims.
India, with a population of over 1.3 billion, is 80% Hindu and 14% Muslim, which means it has one of the largest Muslim populations of any country in the world.
There have been growing questions about the stance of the government, led by Modi’s Hindu nationalist party, toward India’s 172 million Muslims. Attacks on minorities, especially Muslims, have risen sharply across India in the last few years under the leadership of Modi.
