Haryana panel to review communal harmony every quarter now

“The maintenance of communal harmony, and the prevention/ avoidance of communal disturbances/riots and, in the event of any such disturbances occurring, action to control the same and measures to provide protection and relief to the affected persons, is a prime responsibility of the State Governments,” the MHA guidelines mention.

A notification to the tune was issued by TVSN Prasad, Additional Chief Secretary (Home), on February 10. (Express Photo)

Written by: Varinder Bhatia

3 min readChandigarhFeb 18, 2023 05:31 AM IST First published on: Feb 18, 2023 at 05:31 AM IST

A committee headed by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar will review the situation of communal harmony in Haryana at least once every quarter, said government officials Friday, adding, Haryana Governor Bandaru Dattatreya has constituted the State Level Integration Committee.

A notification to the tune was issued by TVSN Prasad, Additional Chief Secretary (Home), on February 10. The notification coincided with the day when charred bodies of two youths (later identified as Nasir, 27, and Junaid, 35, of Gopalgarh, Bharatpur, Rajasthan) were recovered from a burnt SUV in Haryana’s Bhiwani district. The families of the deceased alleged that they were abducted and later murdered by a group of cow-vigilantes.

As per the notification, “The State Level Integration Committee (SLIC) shall review it, at least once in a quarter, as per the revised Guidelines on Communal Harmony (RCH), 2008 issued by Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. The Committee’s headquarters shall be at Chandigarh.”
It added, “Chief Minister shall be the chairman of this Committee, while Home minister, Additional Chief Secretary (Home), Director General of Police and Additional Director General of Police (CID) shall be its members. Secretary/ Special Secretary to Government of Haryana (Home-1) shall be the Member Secretary.”

The MHA’s guidelines on communal harmony are divided in eight parts. These include – Preventive Measures; Administrative Measures; Personnel Policy; Visits by VIP / Dignitaries; Participation of Stakeholders; Press / Media and Awareness Building; Enforcement Action and Monitoring of Cases; and Relief and Rehabilitation.

“The maintenance of communal harmony, and the prevention/ avoidance of communal disturbances/riots and, in the event of any such disturbances occurring, action to control the same and measures to provide protection and relief to the affected persons, is a prime responsibility of the State Governments,” the MHA guidelines mention.

The guidelines add, “Preventing a communal riot is more important than containing it. The District Administration should assess on a regular basis and identify specific areas which are prone to communal sensitivities and tensions in the light of demographic profile; Existence of any structures, monuments, etc; Disputes over land; Routes of procession; History of past disputes; and History of Religious Conversion/Reconversion.”

Sources said that the committee shall also analyse and review the compilation of weekly/fortnightly intelligence/situation reports that are sent by the intelligence department to the sub-divisional or district levels and to the police stations in the hyper-sensitive/sensitive areas, and the reports of the situation reviewed on a monthly basis at the level of District Magistrate and Superintendents of Police.