Haryana: Were the clashes in Nuh planned? How did rioters, yatris get weapons?

Two days after communal clashes broke out in Haryana’s Nuh district, the state continues to remain on edge. At least six people have been killed and over 60, including policemen, were injured. The violence has spread to neighbouring Gurugram , where shops and shanties next to a residential complex were set on fire on Tuesday night. Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar said that the attack on a yatra, which triggered the riots, appeared to be “part of the large conspiracy”. Is there any truth to this? Was it all pre-planned? Local guns, petrol bombs used Violence first erupted in Nuh in the Mewat region of Haryana after a procession led by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad was attacked by a mob . Cars were set ablaze, a cyber police station was vandalised, and thousands took refuge inside the Nalhar Mahadev Mandir, as rioters went on a rampage. According to Nuh police, four people killed in the violence, including two Home Guards, died of bullet injuries. Of those injured, at least, 12 were shot at. Around 500 country-made pistols and revolvers were got from local gunrunners during the clashes, reports Hindustan Times (HT). The religious procession, Brij Mandal Jalabhishek Yatra, was stopped by a group of men near Khedla Mod in Nuh. It soon came under attack; stones and empty bottles were pelted at those participating in the yatra. [caption id=“attachment_12947882” align=“alignnone” width=“735”] Security personnel attempt to disperse miscreants after stones were pelted at a religious procession, in Nuh, Monday. PTI[/caption] Police have now reportedly discovered crates of empty glass bottles, improvised petrol bombs, stones, iron rods, and wood sticks on roofs of buildings in the area, which witnessed the most violence, according to the HT report. This is an indication that the attack was not spontaneous but planned. Residents have said that some of the weapons were brought from gunrunners in Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. “The guns and cartridges were kept on the terraces of the houses in Nuh from where shots were fired. The intent was not to kill anyone but to scare them and disperse the crowd,” a resident told HT. The firearms would reportedly be returned to the gunrunners, who will then sell them to different buyers, ensuring that police are unable to track them, the resident added. “Locals had guns, sticks and swords. We are reviewing gun licences in the region and action will be taken accordingly,” Narender Bijarnia, SP of the Bhiwani district told The Indian Express. Hundreds of litres of petrol were also procured and used to set vehicles on fire. Also read: Haryana: How Nuh violence spread to Gurugram, where mosque was attacked Swords, sticks carried during yatra According to the police, both sides were prepared for possible clashes. Tension has gripped the area days before the yatra after a video by Bajrang Dal activist and self-proclaimed cow vigilante Monu Manesar was circulated. Accused of lynching two Muslim men, he announced that he would join the procession and urged people to participate in large numbers. Manesar, who has been absconding since February, did not join the yatra but his message angered locals in Nuh, which is dominated by minorities. They have been long demanding his arrest. While he has been evading the police, he has appeared in media interviews.

During a meeting in Nuh on 27 July, between police, district officials, VHP, Bajrang Dal, Muslim organisation Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind and residents, the police had warned against the use of weapons during the religious procession. “The yatra has been held for three years now… we flagged that use of weapons was what we stood against,” said Jamiat Ulema-i-Hind member Maulana Yahiya Kareemi, according to a report in The Indian Express. But an early investigation has pointed out that those participating in the procession were also armed with firearms, swords, and other weapons. [caption id=“attachment_12947892” align=“alignnone” width=“629”] Policemen detain people after communal clashes in Nuh in Haryana. AP[/caption] Speaking to The Indian Express, Gurgaon MP and Union Minister of State (Independent charge) Rao Inderjit Singh said that provocation from both communities led to clashes. “Who gave weapons to them for the procession? Who goes to a procession carrying swords, or sticks? This is wrong,” he told reports. Local witnesses said that the yatris had carried weapons in vehicles that they arrived in, hinting that they were prepared for a face-off with the Muslim community. According to a police source, preparation for a confrontation started around 20 July, soon after the first video of Manesar surfaced on social media, reports HT. Also read: Haryana communal violence: Did the police fail to act on time in Nuh? The police crackdown There have been no fresh clashes in Nuh as security forces are on high alert. Haryana Police has taken into custody at least 70 people after 44 FIRs were registered in connection to the clashes in Nuh and neighbouring districts. Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar said on Tuesday that strict action would be taken against rioters. “No rioters will be spared. As per information, as many as five persons have lost their lives till now. Compensation will be given to the families of the deceased,” he said. [caption id=“attachment_12947902” align=“alignnone” width=“607”] Damaged police vehicles, allegedly vandalised by miscreants after clashes broke out during the yatra in Nuh on Monday. PTI[/caption] Sixteen companies of central forces and 30 companies of Haraya Police have helped restore normalcy in Nuh. “The district is on high alert right now. We are keeping a strict vigil in every nook and corner. An adequate number of security forces have been deployed at all chowks, temples, and mosques,” Bijarnia said, reports The Times of India. With inputs from agencies