Gurugram violence wasn’t pre-planned, says police chief

Ramachandran said that the situation is back to normal and under control across the city. “The miscreants have tried to ignite communal violence through these minor incidents, but they have so far failed”, she said

Gurugram police commissioner Kala Ramachandran on Thursday said the violence in Gurugram, in the aftermath of the communal clashes in Nuh on July 31, was not planned. She said it was revealed during investigation that clashes in areas such as sectors 57, 66, 70A, Kherki Daula, Badshahpur, Sohna, and Pataudi were not calculated but random flare-ups.

Gurugram police commissioner Kala Ramachandran on Thursday. (Parveen Kumar/ HT)

Ramachandran said that the police investigation has so far found no corroborative evidence to support theories of planning before the attacks. “The investigation has revealed that the violence was random, where mobsters decided to indulge in violence on the spot and went ahead with the attacks. We have no report to indicate that the incidents in Gurugram were pre-planned. We have a case where a few of the suspects were having drinks and all of a sudden decided to participate in the communal flare-ups,” she said.

Six people, including two home guards, were killed in clashes that erupted in Nuh over an attempt to stop a Vishva Hindu Parishad procession on July 31. Later that night, a mob of close to 45 people opened fire at a mosque in Gurugram’s Sector 57, and set it ablaze, killing a 22-year-old cleric and injuring another.

The police have registered 37 FIRs in the communal flare-ups in Gurugram and arrested 79 people. The security outside religious places is still present though scaled down, said police.

Gurugram police had also booked the state coordinator of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Ahmed Javed, for allegedly instigating a mob to kill a Bajrang Dal leader during the Nuh violence. As per the FIR filed against Javed, the AAP leader instigated the mob to kill Pradeep Kumar at Sohna’s Nirankari Chowk on July 31.

Ramachandran said that investigations are underway to ascertain whether Javed was involved in instigating the rioters. “We are organising peace committee meetings across the district to foster harmony,” she said.

Ramachandran further said the Gurugram Imam Sangathan has decided not to offer ‘namaz’ in the open on Friday. “We expect things to be fully normalised by August 18 and Muslims can take part in their Friday prayers at designated spots across the city,” she said.