VHP, Bajrang Dal to ‘resume’ rally in violence-hit Nuh on Aug 28

Authorities in Nuh said they were yet to receive an application from the right-wing organisations for the march.

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Bajrang Dal on Thursday announced their plan to resume on August 28 the Jalabhishek Yatra in Nuh that was abandoned midway on July 31 after violence broke out between Muslims and Hindus who had gathered in the area in large numbers.

After the clashes, the Haryana government went on a demolition drive targeting around 1,200 properties. (Parveen Kumar/HT)

Nuh deputy commissioner Dhirendra Khargata and Narendra Bijarniya, Nuh’s superintendent of police, said they were yet to receive an application for the march. The former said the administration would look at the situation closer to the date of the yatra before deciding on allowing it.

Ajeet Singh, president, VHP, Gurugram, said that on July 31 there were over 3,500 people who participated in the yatra but that on August 28, there will be much more. “We have invited our counterparts from Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat to be part of the yatra to show our strength and presence. We have no intention to create any violence but we will be well prepared this time,” he said.

Although an annual affair for at least the last three years, this year’s yatra was different. Many Muslims who live in the area, which does not usually see communal clashes, were upset at what they saw as the administration’s apathy in apprehending Monu Manesar, a cow vigilante accused in the February lynching of two Muslim cattle traders from neighbouring Rajasthan (Nuh is part of the Mewat region that spans parts of the two states). Manesar himself posted videos on social media ahead of the march that seemed to suggest he would be present.

It has since emerged that some Muslims in the area mobilised reinforcements from Rajasthan and also guns, stones, and bottles to attack the procession, which was also a show of strength with at least some of the marchers armed with guns and swords.

The violence resulted in six deaths and 88 people being injured. And questions have been asked of the administration for intelligence lapses that resulted in it being taken by surprise, as well as its tardy response.

After the clashes, the Haryana government went on a demolition drive, targeting around 1200 properties, almost all belonging to Muslims on the grounds that they were encroachments or were owned by people who were involved in the violent clashes in Nuh. The Punjab and Haryana High Court stayed the demolition on Monday, commenting that it looked as if the government was involved in “ethnic cleansing”. Several Haryana villages have since held panchayat meetings and barred the entry of Muslim traders, and parts of the state have also seen an exodus of Muslims.

Yashwant Shekhawat, district secretary of Vishwa Hindu Parishad who was part of the first yatra said it is important to complete it before end of this month.

“We have lost our three members , they have laid their life for us and we want to pay tribute to them with the completion of the yatra.”

VHP and Bajrang Dal members said they plan to organise a mahapanchayat in Manesar to discuss the preparations and logistics for the yatra. “We want the participants to be well prepared . The yatra has a broader purpose and message, we will use social media and other platforms to raise awareness about it and invite others to join us in large numbers,” said Kulbhushan Bhardwaj, a member of Bajrang Dal.

Meanwhile, deputy chief minister Dushyant Chautala said that the permissions will be given based on the present situation. “It all depends on situation in the district and the call will be taken by the administration and police. Presently, Section 144 is imposed in the district,” he said.

Jawahar Yadav, officer on special duty (OSD) to Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar, said that the government is unaware of any plans by groups to resume the yatra on August 28.

“The administration will take a call where it is safe and secure for them to take out the religious procession from Gurugram to Nuh. Based on their decision, police protection will be provided to them,” he said.