Syed Ali Mujtaba

The southern city of Coimbatore is once again news due to a gas cylinder explosion, killing one person in the Kottaimedu locality on October 23. Media hype is building about the incident, calling it a repeat of 1998 when several bombs exploded in the city during LK Advani’s visit at the height of the Ram Mandir campaign.

In order to defuse the vitiating communal atmosphere in Coimbatore, members of 3 mosques in the city, visited the Kottai Easwaran Temple near which the LPG gas cylinder explosion took place, and held discussions with the temple priests.

Those who visited the temple were from Idhayathul Islam Shafia Jamaat mosque, Thareekathul Islam Shafia Jamaat mosque, and Kerala Muslim Jamaat mosque. The chief priest of the temple, Sundaresan, and secretary V. Prabhakaran welcomed the members by presenting them with shawls.

 The Muslim delegation members had a friendly discussion for about an hour on many aspects of the incident after the members strongly condemn the car blast and added that no one can disturb Hindu-Muslim unity in Coimbatore and appealed for peace and harmony in the city.

Haji M.A. Inayatullah, general secretary of the Federation, told reporters, the meeting was to maintain communal harmony and peace among all sections of the citizens irrespective of religion, caste, and creed in Coimbatore.

“Muslims have been living in the Kottaimedu area with people who follow different faiths for more than seven generations and they are living there together in peace and brotherhood.

“Islam has never supported violence and has only favored peace. No power in the world can break Hindu-Muslim unity; Inayatullah said and urged the political leaders not to use religion to gain political mileage.

In the car explosion, Jameesha Mubin (29) died on the spot. The incident is widely being discussed in social media as a terror act. The Tamil Nadu government has transferred the case to the National Investigation Agency (NIA). So far six arrests have been made in connection with the car blast.