A Hindu procession was attacked in Muslim-dominated Mewat’s Nuh on Monday leading to communal violence and tension in the area. The procession that started from Haryana’s Gurugram was pelted with stones by Muslims.

Hindu procession attacked in Mewat

Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) district president Gargi Kakkar flagged off Brij Mandal Jalabhishek Yatra at Gurugram’s civil lines. When the Yatra reached Nuh’s Khedla Mod it was attacked by Muslims and according to the police, at least four vehicles were set ablaze by the rioters. The procession was reportedly attacked over the presence of Gaurakshak Monu Manesar. Nearly 2500 people including children were forced to seek shelter in the temple and they were trapped there as Muslims resorted to stone-pelting.

“A mob charging in a hostile way at the yatris could be heard raising ‘Allahu Akbar’ and indulging in riotous activities, the video of which went viral over social media platforms. Two home guards were killed and about a dozen policemen have been reported injured as a mob in Haryana’s Nuh district on July 31, tried to stop the Hindu religious procession, pelting stones and setting cars on fire”, noted OpIndia.

The police, who used teargas and fired shots into the air, have called in reinforcements. Nearly 20 people have been injured. Saying additional troops from neighbouring districts have been sent, Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij on Monday said adequate security arrangements have been put in place to restore peace in the Nuh area. He said apart from the heavy deployment of Haryana Police, companies of paramilitary force are also being deployed to ensure that no untoward incident takes place.

“Adequate forces are being deployed there. We have also spoken to the Centre. We are trying to restore peace there. All those who are stranded in different areas of Mewat region are being rescued,” Vij told the media. Three companies of paramilitary force have been sent to the clash-hit areas. The Nuh police have decided to hold a peace meeting with the members of both communities at 8.30 p.m. on Monday.

Section 144 of CrPC has been imposed in the district. The government suspended mobile Internet services in Nuh till August 2. The order has been issued to stop the spread of misinformation and rumours through various social media platforms, such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, etc. on mobile phones and SMS.

ToI report says that the violence is now spreading to Gurugram.

Mohit Yadav alias Monu Manesar, who is the target of the beef mafia and is facing death threats, was to join the procession and announced that he wouldn’t cancel the visit despite the threat. Reports say this was the ‘trigger’ for the violence. Reports said that security had been increased in view of Monu’s presence.

The Brij Mandal Jalabhishek Yatra is an annual affair undertaken by Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal (BD) members. During the Yatra, they visit important temples in the Muslim-dominated Mewat region spread over Haryana and Rajasthan. Nuh District is located in Haryana’s Mewat region and is dominated by Meo Jati who are almost wholly Islamised.

Police have registered FIR in the matter and have assured to take strict action against the culprits. 20 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) have been deployed by the Central Government to maintain law and order in the region. The contingent comprises of 4 companies of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), 2 companies of the Border Security Force (BSF), 2 companies of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and 12 companies of the Rapid Action Force (RAF).

Mewat’s history of anti-Hindu violence

In 2020, A 3-member fact-finding team constituted by VHP uncovered shocking details of Hindu persecution in the Muslim-majority region of Mewat (which encompasses the whole of Haryana’s Nuh district and some other parts of neighbouring states) which is also home to the fundamentalist Islamic proselytising organization Tablighi Jamaat. The team found that Hindus had been completely driven out of over 100 villages in the region. Cases of rape, sexual harassment, robbery, forced conversion and inability to practise Hindu religion were found to be rampant in the area.

A separate 4-member committee led by Justice Pawan Kumar formed by the Shri Valmiki Mahasabha of Haryana had also probed the persecution of Hindu SCs (Scheduled Castes) in Mewat and found that Mewat is becoming a graveyard of Hindus and there are many reports of women being abducted, raped and forcibly converted in the region.

(With IANS input)

(Featured Image Source: Organiser)