Nuh admin razes 200 dwelling units of alleged rioters

Nuh sub-divisional magistrate Ashwani Kumar said that they had identified the properties of the suspects based on a preliminary probe undertaken by the Nuh police. “We have not targeted anyone randomly, but only those who have been found involved in pelting stones and opening fire,” he said

The demolition drive in violence-hit Nuh continued for the third consecutive day on Saturday as the district administration razed over 200 dwelling units and structures that allegedly belonged to suspects involved in the communal clashes on Monday, said police.

A dwelling unit of an alleged rioter being razed at Nalhar village in Nuh on Saturday. (Parveen Kumar/ HT)

The demolition drive was carried out in Nuh, Pinangwan, Ferozepur Jhirka, Nalhar crossing, Adbar crossing and Tauru, police added.

Police said over 50 teams were on the spot to help the administration during the demolition drive.

Nuh superintendent of police Narendra Bijarniya, who led the operations, said that the structures and houses either belong to the suspects or were used by them for pelting stones, storing weapons, and firing at Hindu devotees who took part in the Brij Mandal Jalabhishek Yatra and were returning from a Shiva temple in Nalhar after offering prayers.

Nuh sub-divisional magistrate Ashwani Kumar said that they had identified the properties of the suspects based on a preliminary probe undertaken by the Nuh police. “We have not targeted anyone randomly, but only those who have been found involved in pelting stones and opening fire. We are ensuring no innocent is framed or targeted,” he said.

Officials said they received orders from chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar, and he urged them to take action against illegal constructions and anti-social elements involved in the communal flare-up.

SP Bijarniya said they demolished houses and structures built on 2.6 acres of land on Saturday. “At Nalhar crossing, four houses and 15 structures were bulldozed. This was one of the prime areas from where the violence started,” he said.

Meanwhile, Nuh’s Congress MLA Chaudhary Aftab Ahmed said, “The way the Haryana government is targeting people from one community is very unfair and such actions will fail to spread the message of peace”.

The legislator further said, “We want evidence from the police and would love to know whether the razed houses belong to suspects in the communal flare-up. People who were not even present in the district that day have been blamed and targeted by the police. Many innocent men who did not move out of their house on that unfortunate day have also been arrested. The entire operation shows the inefficiency of police and administration, and most importantly, the intelligence agencies that did not even bother to pass correct information”.

Jawahar Yadav, officer on special duty (OSD) to chief minister Khattar, said that such action was required to inculcate fear among the suspects. “It is important to teach them a lesson. Some of the suspects who were involved in fraudulent activities targeted the Cyber Crime police station and attempted to kill policemen. The government will not spare anyone,” he said.

Rukma Begum, a resident of Nalhar, said her house was used by stone pelters, but they were helpless as the miscreants were carrying weapons. “We had locked ourselves inside our room as we were scared for our lives. Our rooftop was used by miscreants to keep a check on the movement of vehicles,” she said.

Hafeez Ahmad, a resident of Tauru, said that the real culprits were roaming freely and those who were not even close to the violence-hit areas were being picked up by the police. “Police are arresting people randomly to remain in the good books of the chief minister. They are not even conducting a proper investigation. This will not resolve the issue,” he said.

Police said they have also demolished a few camps of Rohingya refugees for encroachment.

A total of 144 people has been arrested in Nuh so far, in connection with Monday’s violence. Combing exercises have been conducted in villages such as Mewli, Shikarpur, Jalalpur and Singar. A team of cyber experts also collected CCTV footage on the yatra route to recreate the sequence of events.

Officials said they have deputed 22 duty magistrates across Nuh district and their numbers have been shared with the public so that anyone can call them in case of distress.