BEKASI, Indonesia – In another sign of growing intolerance, municipal authorities in Bekasi on Thursday (April 4th) shut down a mosque used by the minority Muslim Ahmadiyah sect, local media reported.

A group of 200 Bekasi public order personnel, assisted by police officers and soldiers, were ordered to seal the Al Misbah mosque as a follow-up to the Joint Ministerial Decree that prohibited the Ahmadi from spreading their beliefs, according to The Jakarta Post.

Dozens of the sect's followers tangled with officials as they fenced off the mosque on the outskirts of Jakarta, AFP reported.

Bekasi Mayor Rahmat Effendi said the decision was made to prevent future bloodshed. But Ahmadiyah officials insist the city only took action after Islamic hardliners announced plans to open a branch in Pondok Gede, The Jakarta Globe reported.

The Ahmadis are regarded as heretics and blasphemers by Indonesia hardliners and have been increasingly targeted in recent years.