Tension gripped Allepur hamlet of Rampur Bairia village in East Champaran district of north Bihar on Thursday when around half-a-dozen huts of backward Muslims were set ablaze, allegedly by landed sections of the same community. A named FIR against eight persons has been lodged and additional police reinforcement deployed in the village to maintain peace.

District Magistrate Jeevan Kumar Gupta said efforts were on to nab the culprits. “The situation is under control. Policemen have been deployed in the village.”

According to reports, Muslims of the village are divided on caste lines and have been fighting for a long time over a separate mosque and burial ground. Dispute over the land on which the backward caste Muslims had set up their mosque had led to the incident.

The landed sections were claiming that the land belonged to them. The district administration, however, had ruled in favour of the backward Muslims.

“Well past midnight, a group of around 20 people raided our hamlet, poured kerosene oil on half-a-dozen huts and set them on fire. Though people managed to save their lives, the huts and other belongings were gutted,” said Akbar Ali of the village over phone.

Expressing outrage, JD(U) MP and national president of All-India Pasmanda Muslim Mahaj, Ali Anwar, said the attack was perpetrated by upper caste Muslims. “The administration should take strong action against the culprits. Affluent upper caste Muslims of the village have been treating the poor lower caste members like untouchables,” he said.

Anwar has been championing the cause of backward caste among the minority community for a long time. Anwar claimed that last year, members of the backward caste were beaten up when a bridegroom rode a car along the road dominated by upper caste Muslims.