An Islamic cleric in northeast Delhi’s Harsh Vihar has been arrested for allegedly raping a minor girl inside a mosque, police said on Tuesday (Jun 1), reports Hindustan Times.

The alleged incident took place on Sunday evening (May 30) when the family had sent the 12-year-old girl to the mosque to fetch water, and on Sunday night the parents of the minor girl filed a complaint with the police.

As per a quote attributed to the Hindustan Times, a police officer associated with the case said that on the night of May 30, the family members of the minor girl had asked her to fetch water from the mosque as they did not have drinking water at home where she was allegedly lured by the cleric who then forced himself on her.

“The girl returned home and told everything to her family members when they asked her why she came late. The family, along with some neighbours, went to the mosque to confront the cleric. Seeing them, the suspect fled through the rear door,” the officer said.

A case was subsequently registered and the girl was counselled and taken for a medical examination, police said.

The name of the accused is Imam Ilyas (48) and he has been booked under section 376 (rape) of the Indian Penal Code and relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, a senior police officer said.

After the alleged rape Ilyas who ran away from the scene of the crime was later arrested on Monday morning from Loni in Ghaziabad where he lived, a senior police officer said.

Tension ran high and Police had to be deployed outside the mosque as agitated locals along with the girls family members gathered there to protest, police said.

Imam Ilyas hails from Bharatpur in Rajasthan has now been produced before a city court which sent him to 14-day judicial custody.

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The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India while commenting on the recent petition filed at the Delhi High Court about the marriage of SOGIESC community under the Hindu Marriage Act said that homosexuality is unnatural and that the Church does not accept homosexuality as it is against nature and what God has taught.

“Indian society and law do not recognize such a concept. Homosexuality is unnatural and the Church does not accept that which is against nature because we follow what God has taught us”, Bishop Joshua Mar Ignathios, Vice President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India was quoted saying in a report by UCA News dated September 15, 2020.

He said that the Church neither promotes nor propagates homosexuality and believes that it is always for men and women and happy families.

“The Church believes in natural activities and it will always stand for that”, he said.

Muhammad Arif, the chairman of Center for Harmony and Peace, was quoted saying in UCA News that same-sex marriage, homosexuality and gay culture are all Western culture.

“Same-sex marriage, homosexuality and gay culture are all Western culture, which some people think is correct, but I don’t think our society is ready to accept them at this moment.”, he had said.

He said that our country has a history of people living peacefully and following the age-old tradition of marriage between men and women and that it will be difficult to accept same sex marriages.

A petition was filed at the Delhi High Court seeking the recognition of the right of SOGIESC (Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression, and Sex Characteristics) community members to marry under the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955.

The public interest litigation (PIL) has been filed by defence and strategic affairs expert Abhijit Iyer Mitra, intersex activist Gopi Shankar Madurai, transgender activist G Oorvasi and senior women rights and lesbian activist Giti Thadani.

The matter has now been adjourned till October 21.

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