It started with Rs 2,000 going missing from a wallet. In the 10 days since, a town in this district of Rajasthan has been swept up in communal tension, with a growing web of charges leading to the arrest of 11 members of the Muslim community for allegedly exploiting Hindu girls.While the police still look for evidence, the VHP has got involved, Governor Haribhau Bagde has suggested the girls were targeted as they are “associated with a Hindu organisation”, the families of the accused and the local Jama Masjid have got “encroachment” notices, and a town with a mixed population of one lakh that lived largely in peace is battling apprehensions of violence.Family members of one of the original complaints told The Indian Express that the details spilled out after the father of the girl noticed money missing from his wallet. He questioned his daughter, who confessed to having taken the money. Later, the mother discovered a phone in her daughter’s school bag, on which she had reportedly been talking to a Muslim youth.According to the family, the girl’s sister, also a minor, was then found to be in touch with another Muslim youth. The girls allegedly told their parents the youths had made videos of their meetings, and were blackmailing them to continue the relationship.On February 16, the family of the two girls filed an FIR accusing the two Muslim youths of sexually exploiting the girls, and trying to convert them, Later, families of three more minor girls in the same locality filed similar FIRs, naming three other youths.Located three hours from Jaipur, the town has emerged recently as an economic hub, with businessmen finding new markets in distant Mumbai and Kolkata. While the owners of these businesses are mostly Hindus, their employees are Muslims. In keeping with the growing affluence, cafes and restaurants now dot the small town.As per the families of the girls, the accused would waylay them on their way back from school, and it is at the cafes that they met.Story continues below this adOf the 11 arrested, three are minors. Deputy Superintendent of Police Sajjan Singh said, “We have received judicial custody of three of the 11, with the minors sent to juvenile detention centres.”Singh added that so far no incriminating photos of the girls or other such evidence had been found in the phones of the youths, and they had sent the devices to the State Forensic Science Laboratory for further inspection. Police are yet to receive reports of the medical tests done on the girls.Separately, the local municipality has sent notices – 10, in all – to family members of the accused, the Jama Masjid, and the local graveyard authorities, seeking proof of ownership of the land they occupy.On February 24, a verandah of the house of one of the accused was demolished by the municipality. Fearing they may face similar action, community members have contacted legal experts in New Delhi for help.Story continues below this adOn Tuesday, a group of Muslims gave an application to the Beawar Collector regarding these notices and referred to the Supreme Court guidelines issued last year regarding demolitions. The Collector subsequently directed the municipality not to move ahead with any demolitions.However, by then, some structures had already faced the hammer. Sadiq Qureshi, the president of the Aam Muslim Samaj, said, “We do not support any criminal act by anyone. If the youths are culprits, punish them, but why target the biggest mosque in the town?”Qureshi showed photographs of an inscription on the graveyard wall saying that the former chairman of the municipality supported its construction and that of a gate. “When the municipality itself gave funds, how can this be illegal?” said Shammo Khan, a member of the Jama Masjid committee.Anita Mewara, the municipality chairperson and a BJP leader, told The Indian Express: “The graveyard is legal, but some structures like a room were built illegally, while the gate was not part of the site map. Action will be taken as per rules.”Story continues below this adThe executive officer of the municipality, Pratap Singh, said these could not be called demolition notices and were meant to just check encroachment in the area. “The graveyard is on agricultural land, so we have sealed the gate and investigation is ongoing. The notices sent were not for demolition but to see the documents regarding land,” said Singh.In the meantime, say Muslim families, extrajudicial threats have started. One of those arrested is Aashiq Mansuri, 20, the charge against whom is “conspiracy” for having lent his bike to one of the main accused. On February 18 night, hours after Mansuri was arrested, his family says a group of around 10 people barged into their house.Mansuri’s sister says she was alone at home. “I begged them to go back. Our neighbours tried to talk to them. But the men hurled abuses, threatened to shoot and said, ‘Tum hamara kuchch nahin bigaad sakte (You cannot do anything to us)’,” she said, adding that they complained to the police, but no action was taken.Circle Inspector Karan Singh confirmed receiving the complaint, and said action would be taken based on evidence.Story continues below this adMansuri’s mother Raaesa Bano asked what her son’s fault was. “Is it a crime to lend your bike to a friend?”Family members of two other accused, both minors, also claim to be living in fear. The uncle of one of the boys said he was friends with a relative of the girl who had filed a case against him. “A month back I got a call from my friend saying the boy and girl were in touch over the phone. He asked me politely to put a stop to it. I scolded my nephew and he promised he would stop talking to the girl. But then, last week, the police arrived at our house looking for my nephew, who was out of town. Later, we accompanied him to the police station and he surrendered,” the uncle said, adding that his nephew had not used any force and his friendship with the girl was mutual.Questioning allegations that the accused had made lakhs of rupees exploiting the girls, the uncle said their family barely made ends meet and anyone could come check this.The father of the other minor accused claimed his son had not even been in town for the last nine months.Story continues below this adThe brother of former municipal councillor Hakim Qureshi, who is accused of being the mastermind of the alleged racket, said he had actually helped the BJP get a hold in the local municipality and had good relations across the two communities. Sadiq Qureshi called the charges “the systematic targeting of my brother”. “Hakim’s arrest is political, meant to prevent him from contesting the coming municipality elections,” he said.Many families, especially those of the accused, have stopped sending their children out alone, even to school. Even parents of some girls are keeping them at home, watching how the situation develops.The uncle of a girl complainant said: “We are in shock. How are we supposed to get our daughter married now?”The family members of another girl said they would not give up the fight. “There may be victims who are scared to come out in public, but we want to fight for justice,” said her mother.Story continues below this adShammo Khan said their fear is that the issue won’t be allowed to settle down, pointing to a huge rally taken out by Hindu right-wing organisations in front of the Jama Masjid soon after the FIRs were filed. “We have asked our youth not to react, but every other day, abuses are hurled at us,” said Khan.There have been other rallies, while shutdowns have been held in towns in Beawar district as well as in Ajmer and Bhilwara.Addressing students at a school in Nawalgarh in Jhunjhunu district Monday, Governor Bagde said: “You targeted the girls as they are in a Hindu organisation. Now this will not work as this is Bharat… Those who look at you with evil eyes, look them straight in the eye too… Reply to a brick with a stone. Jo dar gaye, woh doosre dharma mein gaye. Jo nahin dare, woh aaj Hindu hain (Those who got scared, they are in a different religion now. Those who didn’t, are Hindus today).”BJP MLA from Masuda Virendra Singh Kanawat, under whose constituency the town falls, said he had spoken to the police and the Hindu community. “I assured them that action will be taken against the culprits.”Story continues below this adCongress leader Tikaram Jully said “the poor security” in Rajasthan was the reason for incidents such as Beawar’s. “It is important that the culprits are dealt with strictly and justice is served. But the BJP government has failed to prevent such cases,” he said.Residents now are joining dots with other incidents leading up to the tension. In September last year, there were “threats” leading to the cancellation of the traditional Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi rally. At the time, Mewara warned that there would be consequences if a Muslim procession passed by a temple.Saffron flags were put up and a Lord Ram poster pasted in front of the Jama Masjid at the time. They remain.