Haryana violence: Police targeted, forced to flee yatra in Nuh; cyber crime station attacked

Two members of the home guard were killed in Monday’s violence, and at least 60 policemen were injured

More than 500 policemen were deployed at Nalhar and Badkali Chowk in Nuh district for a shobha yatra by Hindu groups on Monday, and after the processions were attacked allegedly by Muslim groups, the police personnel were forced to flee, often ditching their uniform in order to escape unscathed, the officers said on Tuesday.

Broken glass and debris strewn on a street as policemen patrol after communal clashes in Nuh, on Tuesday. (AP)

Two members of the home guard were killed in Monday’s violence, and at least 60 policemen were injured. Officers said they were caught unawares by the mobs, which were armed with bottles, rods, hammers and other weapons.

One policeman who was deployed at Badkali Chowk, on condition of anonymity, said that the mobs were angered by perceived inaction by police after cow vigilante Monu Manesar released provocative videos on social media ahead of the yatra.

The policeman said that he and other officers were having tea with a group of people when one man received a phone call.

“Immediately after speaking to the caller, the man slapped a constable and asked his associates to join him. We were shocked. Around the same time, another constable who was passing by on his bike was hit on the head with a glass bottle. The group then locked us inside the police post and set it on fire. We saved our lives by rushing out through a window after removing its iron mesh,” the officer said.

Another officer, also declining to be named, said he and several colleagues hid in shops and houses and removed their uniform so that they were not attacked.

Separately, a group of nearly 300 people attacked the cyber police station in Nuh, rammed a bus into the building, vandalised vehicles parked nearby, and set them on fire. They also tried to burn the building, police officers said, adding that they suspect that those involved in the attack could be cyber criminals from the Nuh region.

“They wanted to attack those who were working inside but we survived,” said constable Raghuvir Singh, whose motorbike parked outside was torched.

On Tuesday, Gurugram police commissioner Kala Ramachandran said in an official release, “Two of our colleagues, home guard Neeraj and home guard Gursev, who were deployed from Gurugram to Nuh in the wake of the law-and-order disturbance in that district, laid down their lives in the line of duty yesterday... While no amount can compensate for the loss of a loved one, the bereaved family will be provided with ₹57 lakh and all support by Haryana Police.”