Haryana violence: Bajrang Dal man dies of injuries, toll now 6

Sharma was the president of Bajrang Dal from the Badshahpur area and lived with his family in Maruti Kunj in Bhondsi

A 32-year-old Bajrang Dal functionary injured during the communal clashes in Nuh on Monday succumbed to his injuries on Wednesday, taking the toll of the Haryana communal violence to six, prompting the police to increase deployment and conduct a flag march in the affected areas on Wednesday.

Police said senior police officers were also on the ground to monitor the situation and ensure that law and order was under control. (Paveen Kumar/ HT Photo)

Gurugram’s assistant police commissioner (headquarters) Manoj Kumar said they confirmed the news of Bajrang Dal convener Pradeep Sharma’s death from the Delhi Police.

Police said Sharma suffered injuries all over his body including the head. He was attacked near Sohna, when he was returning to Gurugram. “He was driving a car. It had five people including women when the car was intercepted and they were brutally assaulted. He was attacked with a sharp object,” said Manjeet Kumar, a member of Vishwa Hindu Parishad.

“Sharma died during treatment at Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital.” Sharma was the president of Bajrang Dal from the Badshahpur area and lived with his family in Maruti Kunj in Bhondsi.

Police said senior police officers were also on the ground to monitor the situation and ensure that law and order was under control.

Kulbhushan Bhardwaj, a member of a Bajrang Dal said that Sharma’s body was taken to Baghpat in Uttar Pradesh for cremation. “The Gurugram Police did not allow the family to get his body due to the tense situation. They were asked to cremate in their hometown. He was an active member of the group and he was targeted by the mob to hit us emotionally,” he said.

However, the police denied the allegation. “Why will Gurugram Police not allow the family to cremate the body in Bhondsi? The situation is under control and police have been deployed across the city to manage law and order. These allegations are baseless,” said Manoj Kumar, assistant commissioner of police (HQ).

Abhishek Gaur, district president of Bajrang Dal said that he has appealed to his members not to believe any rumours. “We want peace in the city and want to maintain harmony. I am also injured but we cannot take law into our hands and we have to ensure that we don’t get involved in any kind of violence. Let the police do their job and arrest those behind the violence,” he said.

The Hindu groups had called for a mahapanchayat at Manesar on Wednesday morning to discuss a plan for retaliation but the gathering was cancelled due to Sharma’s death.

“We wanted to discuss all the points and issues faced by the members, what police action is required, and also wanted to present our demand to cancel the arms licenses of locals involved in violence,” said Vinod Kumar, a member of Bajrang Dal.

Violence first erupted on Monday when Hindu and Muslim groups clashed during Bajrang Dal and Vishva Hindu Parishad’s Shobha Yatra in Nuh. Two home guards were killed and over 200 people were injured in the violence.

The trigger was a direct result of the annual procession supported by Hindu groups passing through the area at a time when relations between Hindus and Muslims in the entire Mewat region, of which Nuh is a part, were strained over the lynching of two Muslim cattle traders in February. It has been a sore point among Muslims that the police have been unable, or unwilling to arrest Monu Manesar, a cow vigilante allegedly involved in that incident. Ahead of the procession, Manesar posted videos claiming he would be part of the procession in what appears to be a sort of dare. Monu, however, did not turn up.