Anurag Kumar
Communal violence overtook the town of Nuh in Haryana on Monday, resulting in the deaths of two Home Guards, over 200 people injured, and the torching of dozens of vehicles, according to the police. The violence was caused by fights between Hindu and Muslim organisations that occurred during a religious parade sponsored by the Bajrang Dal and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad.
The administration issued prohibitory orders in the Nuh and Gurugram districts and halted mobile internet service in Nuh, despite the fact that tensions continued to rise throughout the evening. The chief minister, Manohar Lal Khattar, pleaded with residents to desist from violence as additional forces were parachuted in.
Tuesday, all institutions in the Gurugram district will be closed, according to the administration.
At least 20 individuals were detained until 11 p.m. due to the violence.
According to police officers, the violence began 10 minutes after the approximately 200-person procession began to walk from Edward Chowk in Nuh town at 2:00 p.m. A large throng is said to have pelted the group with rocks as it walked down the main road. Initially, the Hindu side reportedly retreated, but later regrouped and retaliated.
A senior police officer reported that Sajjan Dalal, deputy superintendent of police (Hodal), had been shot in the cranium and was in critical condition.
“He is receiving treatment at the Medanta hospital alongside Gurugram police inspector Anil Kumar, who also sustained a bullet wound to the abdomen,” he said.
According to a police officer, the violence was sparked by rumours that Bajrang Dal member and cow vigilante Monu Manesar, who is sought for the murder of two Muslim men in Haryana’s Bhiwani in February, would also be participating in the procession.
According to the officer, this was preceded by a video of Manesar that began disseminating on Sunday on social media.
“In the video, he can be heard announcing that he will travel to Nuh to participate in the procession and urging others to do the same on a large scale,” said the aforementioned police officer. “The region was tense after the video’s release,” the officer said, adding that the sought cow vigilante did not eventually appear.
Manesar has evaded capture for several months.
A few minutes later, the group that pelted the rally with stones left, but quickly regrouped and began torching parked vehicles along the road. As news of the clashes spread, violence began to spread throughout Nuh and neighbouring Gurugram.
Police evacuated approximately 2,500 men, women, and children who had sought refuge in a Shiv temple in Nuh, according to the Haryana home minister in Chandigarh, Anil Vij.
The people who attacked the procession, according to police officers, also ransacked the cyber police station in Nuh and torched a police post in Edward Chowk, which is located approximately 50 kilometres from Gurugram.
A senior district official of Nuh reported that police fired multiple rounds of tear gas to disperse demonstrators.
Additionally, police personnel opened fire in the air. “After reinforcements arrived, orders were issued to charge all participants in the violence and stone throwing with batons,” said the officer.
Up until 6 p.m., reports of stone-throwing and violence were received from a few locations, and forces were mobilised accordingly.
Kamal Gupta, a devotee, stated that Muslim groups assaulted the temples where Hindus were seeking refuge.
“Devotees were dragged out of buses and cars and assaulted,” he reported.
Nasir Ahmed, a resident of the Punhana neighbourhood in Nuh, accused the procession participants of shouting provocative slogans.
Iqbal Khan, a resident of Firozpur Jhirka, asserted that the procession’s participants initially assaulted bystanders.
“Several individuals exiting a mosque retaliated, and the situation spiralled out of control,” he said.
The police superintendent of Gurugram, Kala Ramachandran, confirmed the deaths and urged individuals not to inflame tensions.
“No one should publish violent or provocative content on social media platforms that could harm social harmony and peace in the community,” she said.
“Immediate and severe action will be taken against anyone who posts content on social media that could pose a threat to public safety. “People should also avoid spreading rumours,” she added.
Khattar stated that the government would take action against those culpable for the violence.
“Today’s occurrence is regrettable; I urge everyone to maintain peace in the province. The culpable will not be spared at any cost; they will face the harshest punishment,” he tweeted.
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The Bhiwani police superintendent, Narender Bijrania, who was given additional responsibility for Nuh on Monday, stated that they had detained and were questioning several individuals in relation to the incident.
“We have identified a number of individuals through videos and images shared on social media and will shortly arrest them. He stated that the situation is now under control and that everyone has been rescued successfully.
