Van belonging to Muslim charity in Bradford “deliberately” vandalised

A van belonging to a Bradford-based charity which feeds the homeless has been “deliberately” vandalised and has hindered the group’s work in the build up to Christmas, the Telegraph & Argus reports.

The windows of the van belonging to the InTouch Foundation were smashed by vandals while it was parked outside the home of the charity’s founder.

Osman Gondal, founder and chief executive of the InTouch Foundation, had arrived at his home in Allerton just half an hour before the attack took place.

He said the incident, which happened on Wednesday 7 December, was a deliberate attack on his vehicle.

He told the Telegraph & Argus: “I came home from work late on Wednesday evening, about 8pm, and everything was fine, then at 8.30pm I got a call from a neighbour saying the windows of the van had been smashed.

“It was a deliberate act of vandalism. Both the driver and passenger side windows were smashed, but nothing was taken from inside the van.

“There were a number of other vehicles on the street at the time, including my car, and none of the others were damaged.

“The van is clearly marked as a charity van.

“We help the homeless and people living in poverty in Bradford, so for someone to do that to a community asset, it makes me very sad to be honest.”

InTouch has been operating a mobile soup kitchen in Bradford since 2012 every Monday between 6.30pm and 8pm.

It also operates mobile soup kitchens and a food bank from its base in Manningham Lane, as well as working on a variety of projects in the local community.

Mr Gondal said the charity’s work is going to be affected for the Christmas period due to the vandalism.

He said: “Because of this attack we have got to spend money which is allocated to buy food for the charity’s work to get the van repaired.

“I imagine it will cost a few hundred pounds to get fixed.

“It is going to be off the road for a few days and it will have a big impact on our service.

“We are trying to get the van back on the road as quick as possible. It’s going to impact people on the streets, and those who cannot get a hot meal or what they need.

“The amount of support I have got from neighbours and friends has been nice, they cannot understand why someone would do this.”

Mr Gondal has reported the incident to the police.

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