The recent communal terror attack on Hindu pilgrims visiting a Shiva Temple in Nuh, Haryana, during the ongoing Shravan month conjures up visions of the terrible bomb blasts in Mumbai in the 90s. Both attacks were communal in nature but there was a glaring difference – in the bomb blasts, the terrorists did not seek to terrify only people from one religion, whereas now the attacks that take place are aimed at terrorizing and terrifying only Hindus. Whether it is the terror riots in Delhi on Hindus in 2020 or any riots/attacks, anywhere in Bharat, after the Modi Government came into power, it is obvious that the attacks are aimed only at Hindus. One wonders how these communal terror riots/attacks are so perfectly planned and executed without our Police or IB catching a whiff of it.

Keeping just two such attacks in mind ie. the Delhi attacks of February, 2020 and the Nuh attacks in August, 2023, a few observations have been put out in the Social Media:

1. In Delhi, the riotous mob was “using Rajdhani School as a base for the purpose of throwing petrol bombs and pelting stones at the properties belonging to Hindus”. (https://www.outlookindia.com/national/delhi-riots-2020-court-frames-charges-against-school-4-others-news-263519)
2. On the day when the arson was committed on the DRP School, the Muslim parents had rushed to the school to take their children home early, before closing hours. While other parents were nonplussed, it seems that the Muslim parents were forewarned. https://organiser.org/2020/03/03/126892/bharat/muslim-mob-set-school-on-fire-only-because-the-owner-of-the-school-was-a-hindu/
3. There were reports that Muslim maids from nearby areas and as far as Gurgaon had taken leave immediately prior to the communal terror attacks in Nuh.
4. Some tweets report that Muslim shopkeepers shut shop on the day of the attack and some even left Nuh before the attack.
5. Police force deployed had been substantially reduced in Nuh for this year’s Shravan Maas Shiv Puja (https://twitter.com/RituRathaur/status/1689526747346407424?s=20). It is obvious that some people had prior knowledge of this.
6. YouTubers/Instagrammers raked up emotions of people of a particular community by putting up videos inciting attacks or revenge on Hindus. Same with messages doing the rounds via Whatsapp and Telegram. Many a times such videos are made by people pretending to be citizens of India, but are actually citizens of other countries.

The above statements are enough to make us realise that these communal terror attacks were preplanned by radicalized/interested elements and that the common man had turned a blind eye to such unusual activities. The common Hindu was caught unawares because he depended fully on the Police or Intelligence agencies to keep him safe and did not give heed to the warning signs.

After the repeated Bomb blasts in Mumbai, people finally wizened up and every bus/train carried posters which stated clearly that every commuter must be on the lookout for suspicious luggage under the seats or overhead carriers. These posters exist till today and before sitting in a bus or train, one automatically checks for suspicious looking luggage. It is time that Hindus started looking for telltale signs of terror activities all over the country if they want to remain safe and alive and help the law and order forces in preempting terror strikes. Let us take a look at some of the signs that any law abiding citizen can keep a watch for:

1. Teachers and parents of students can report to higher authorities/police when unexpected mass absenteeism of school children of a particular community takes place.
2. Housing society groups can report to the local police when unexpected mass leave for a week or more is requested by maids belonging a particular group.
3. Housing society groups/individuals/whatsapp groups can also report when videos/messages inciting attacks on anyone are shared on common Whatsapp/Telegram groups.
4. Sudden closure of a row of shops or pile-up of stones/petrol/empty bottles,etc in any building in any area should be reported to the nearest police station immediately.
5. Temples can become the centre of refuge when such attacks take place if they keep a basic stock of medicines, water, readymade food, charged gensets & torches (if the lights/current goes off), lathis, sycamores (guler) & airguns (for self defense), etc.
6. Weekly Dharma Sabha at local Temples are an absolute Necessity now. It is time that Hindus resorted to networking and sharing of information regarding various local activities, including suspicious ones.

While it is understandable that common citizens look up to law enforcement agencies to keep the country safe, it is imperative to remember that we are living in different times when Information is spread rapidly and covertly via various mediums like never before. It is always better to be safe by being alert and pro-active rather than shed tears later. Hindus may be a majority in Bharat today but with the rapid demographic changes happening in the population and in the administrative forces, we have to depend on Self-Preservation and Unity more than anything else.