Amid violence in Nuh, a tale of communal harmony from a govt bank
Even as Nuh in Haryana’s Mewat region was rocked by communal violence during a procession by the Bajrang Dal-VHP, a story of communal bonhomie simultaneously unfolded at Sarva Haryana Gramin Bank — several bank employees across branches were rescued from the mob and taken to safety by men from the Muslim community.
On Monday, manager of the bank’s Pinangwan branch, Ravi Gupta (40), was on his way home to Hodal when he was intercepted by a mob at Singar. The men allegedly beat him up and torched his bike. That’s when an elderly Muslim man from Singar intervened — taking a hit in the process — and took Gupta away from the mob. He took him to a clinic and got him first aid.
Later, Gupta called his wife from the man’s phone. She, in turn, sought help from Vishnu Dutt Sharma, who served with Gupta for two years in the Pinangwan branch, and shared the number. Vishnu passed on the details to two employees at the Singar branch — Business Correspondent Agent (BCA) Mohammad Mustafa and cashier Mustak Ahmed. They reached the clinic on their motorcycle, took Gupta, and dropped him at a place between Khaika and Andhop villages.
‘Everyone knew the violence was coming…There were many triggers… last year they pulled down a mazaar’: Nuh MLA
As the violence in Nuh, around a yatra organised by the Bajrang Dal and VHP, dies down, the constituency’s Congress MLA, Aftab Ahmed, speaks to The Indian Express about the “provocative” actions and statements behind the incidents, the earlier appeals to the district administration, and the situation now. Muslims from “30-40 villages in the district have been forced to migrate” he says. Excerpts:
How did you hear of the violence?
It was about 1.30 pm (on July 31). I was in Delhi for a party event. The first phone call that I got was from the SP (of Palwal). He had the additional charge of Nuh that day. He told me that a few people had gathered in Shaheedi Park and that the situation was becoming tense. After that, I started receiving calls from other people, including a few from the district administration. They informed me that a large crowd had gathered, including teenagers and small children.
While addressing an event in Hisar on Sunday, Haryana Deputy CM Dushyant Chautala said, “Today, we have to stand and give an answer to those who are jeopardising peace and brotherhood among us”.
The communal violence that erupted in Haryana’s Nuh, about 85 km from Delhi and a Muslim-majority district, on July 31 has claimed seven lives and left scores injured and displaced.
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Two days after Anil Vij denied having information about any intelligence input on a possible build-up of tension in Nuh, the Haryana Home Minister on Sunday said Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar can update on the issue stressing that he has "all the information".
"Dekhiye, Nuh mamle mein jo bhi batayenge mukhya mantri ji batayenge, unhi ke paas sari soochnaye hai. Jo kuchh maine kehna tha mein keh chuka (on Nuh issue, whatever has to be said, only the chief minister will tell you...he has all the information. Whatever I had to say (on Nuh), I have said it)," Vij told reporters in Ambala when asked about the update on Nuh violence.
The remarks by Vij, a senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader, has apparently brought his displeasure over not being kept in the loop on the issue.
On being asked what is the situation in Nuh and when will internet be restored, Vij replied, "Nuh k baare mein ab jo batayenge na, mukhya mantri ji batayenge...mujhe nahin kuchh bhi pata (I don't have any update...now the chief minister will be able to tell)."
Vij has the responsibility of law and order, but does not have the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) under him which comes under the chief minister. The home minister has in the past expressed unhappiness over not being briefed or given feedback on various issues by the CID. (PTI)
Banks and ATMs will reopen on a trial basis in Haryana's Nuh on Monday, a week after clashes broke out in the district over a Vishva Hindu Parishad procession, an official has said.
Financial institutions in Nuh, Tauru, Punhana, Ferozepur Jhirka, Pingawan and municipal corporation areas will open for a short window on Monday, the official said.
According to an order issued by District Magistrate Dhirender Khadgata on Sunday, it has been decided to open banks and ATMs on August 7 on a trial basis. Financial transactions in banks will take place from 11 am to 2 pm while ATMs will be open till 3 pm.
Government offices will also function smoothly on August 7. Employees can enter their workplaces by showing their identity cards. Normality is returning in the district and the situation is under control, Khadgata said. (PTI)
The communal violence that erupted in Haryana’s Nuh, about 85 km from Delhi and a Muslim-majority district, on July 31 has claimed seven lives and left scores injured and displaced. But, one small positive amid the violence and its aftermath — demolitions continued in Nuh for a third straight day on Sunday — is that most other parts of the state have remained peaceful (except Gurgaon and Faridabad in the National Capital Region and Palwal, where a few incidents of violence were reported).
Haryana remained largely peaceful in the past too during communal violence in other parts of the country and the conflagration in Nuh, according to several politicians, won’t affect the harmony in other parts of the state.
A political leader, who did not wish to be identified, said, “Mostly, there has not been any enmity among people in Haryana in the name of religion, except for a few isolated incidents that took place because of political reasons in the past. Due to the influence of Arya Samaj, cows are revered in many parts of the state. But, still, people did not allow such matters to cause rifts in society.” (Read More)
A group of motorcycle-borne masked men on Sunday allegedly vandalised some shops and injured a few people at two places in Panipat, the incident coming on the heels of the communal clashes in Nuh.
The attackers targeted shops belonging to members of a particular community at two places in Panipat, the police said. The police later rounded up 15 people and they are being questioned, an official in Panipat said.
"The attackers were youths aged between 20 and 25 and were riding motorcycles. They wore masks," he said.
A few days ago, some unidentified people allegedly vandalised a chicken shop in Panipat. The shop was located near the house of a man killed in the Nuh clashes, the police had said earlier. Three to four people have suffered minor injuries in Sunday's violence, the official said. (PTI)
Maulana Arshad Madani, President of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, has said in a recent statement that the report submitted by a representative delegation of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind that visited Nuh, Mewat and surrounding areas to analyse the riots affected areas is very heart-wrenching, and it has come out as crystal clear that the riot was planned. In this, the role of police and administration has been suspicious, of which several videos have gone viral, he said. (ANI)
After the demolition drive in Nuh, Congress MLA from the area, Ch Aftab Ahmed, said, "This drive is illegal and nothing will be achieved by this action. The accused should be punished severely if found guilty, but demolishing houses, shops of the poor is not right."
Haryana authorities on Sunday razed several structures in the violence-hit Nuh district including a hotel-cum-restaurant. A dozen shops and medical stores were also razed on Saturday.
After a four-member delegation of CPI was prevented from entering Nuh, CPI leader Binoy Viswam alleged that Hooligans and goons are being allowed to move freely but we are being prevented to enter Nuh. "This is the plight of the country today," he lamented.
"We have seen it, this is the plight of the country today. The reality of the day, the Police are not allowing even us. That means that under this rule, even the freedom of movement is prohibited. Hooligans, goons, miscreants and fascists can move freely...We have been prevented here and we wanted to protest over that. But we don't want to create a tussle here..." he said.
A four-member CPI-delegation was stopped on their way to visit the violence-hit areas of Nuh on Sunday.
"The police are not allowing the CPI delegation of top leaders (to visit violence-hit Nuh). Hooligans, goons, and miscreants can go freely, but democratic people who came here for peacemaking are stopped. We have decided to go back because we don't want any confrontation," said CPI leader Binoy Viswam.
A panchayat called by Hindu outfits is set to begin soon today (Sunday) in Tigra village, sector 57, Gurugram. A video released by news agency PTI shows that people have gathered for the Mahapanchayat in large numbers in Tigra village.
As per residents, the panchayat has been called to protest against arrests over demonstrations across the city after clashes erupted in Nuh on July 31 over an attempt to stop a Vishva Hindu Parishad procession and spread to Gurugram and other districts of the state. Police have restricted the entry of outsiders into the village.
A four-member CPI delegation was stopped on its way to visit the violence-affected areas in Gurugram and Nuh in Haryana today.
Ahead of the visit, CPI MP P Santhosh Kumar had said, "We have already informed the authorities and we will try to meet all sections. It is a one-day visit. We are with the people. Communalism is no solution to any issue. There are divisive forces on either side to divide people. So, we are there to understand the situation."
Haryana authorities razed Sahara Family Restaurant in Nuh on the third day of the demolition drive amid heavy police deployment. Nearly a dozen shops, including medical stores, were razed on Saturday.
The curfew in Haryana's Nuh district was lifted for the movement of the public from 9 am to 12 noon on Sunday, news agency ANI reported. Soon after the curfew was lifted, people stepped out of their homes to purchase vegetables at Nuh Sabzi Mandi.The curfew was imposed in the district on August 1.
Security has been deployed in Gurugram's Tigra village ahead of the 'Mahapanchayat' by 'Hindu Samaj' later today.
Authorities bulldozed a three-storey hotel and several shops outside the Shaheed Hasan Khan Mewati Government Medical College and Hospital as the demolition drive in violence-hit Nuh district continued for the fourth day on Sunday. As per the shopkeepers, the authorities came late at night and conducted the anti-encroachment drive. Further, they said that notices weren’t served to any of the vendors or shop owners.
(Express Photos)
A three-storey hotel has been demolished by the authorities in Nuh. As per locals, this was the same place where people had gathered at the time of clashes and pelted stones at locals and police.
(Express Photo)
Hindu outfits have called a panchayat in Gurugram's Tigra village to protest against arrests over demonstrations across the city after Nuh violence. Police have restricted the entry of outsiders into the village.
As a four-member CPI delegation is scheduled to visit the violence-affected areas in Gurugram and Nuh in Haryana today, CPI MP P Santhosh Kumar said ahead of the visit, "We have already informed the authorities and we will try to meet all sections. It is a one-day visit. We are with the people. Communalism is no solution to any issue. There are divisive forces on either side to divide people. So, we are there to understand the situation."
The attack on the cyber police station in Nuh on July 31 during the communal violence was a planned one, the Haryana police said Saturday, adding that miscreants had wanted to destroy evidence collected during what they described as the biggest such raid in the country.
“The successful raid in Nuh district, involving a total of 5,000 personnel in Haryana, where the police uncovered a cyber fraud worth about Rs 100 crore, not only highlights state’s significant accomplishment in the fight against cybercrime but showcases the seriousness with which the state’s law enforcement tackled this issue,” a police spokesperson said in a statement. “This was the biggest ever raid of its kind in India, in which 320 hideouts of cyber criminals spread across 14 villages in Nuh district were raided.”
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A four-member CPI delegation is scheduled to visit the violence-affected areas in Gurugram and Nuh in Haryana today.
Gurgaon Deputy Commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav visited slums near Sectors 58 and 70 Saturday and encouraged people to carry on with their daily activities without fear. As per a statement from the administration, he assured residents of the area that they need not be afraid.
DC Yadav said the Rapid Action Force is deployed at various locations in the district, and that the Haryana Police is arresting anti-social elements. So far, 51 persons have been arrested in 29 FIRs, and preventive action has been taken against 62 people to maintain peace, said police. The DC mentioned that the district administration and police are holding regular meetings with representatives of various societies and domestic help workers to ensure their safety.
Read more
The Supreme Court has set aside an order of the National Green Tribunal which delegated the issue of rejuvenation of the Najafgarh lake to a committee headed by the Delhi lieutenant governor.
A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Sanjay Karol noted that by its February 16 order, the NGT had disposed of a plea filed by Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) without going into the merits saying that the tribunal will deal with the matter in some other case.
The top court set aside the order of the NGT on procedural grounds and said INTACH's plea ought to have been heard by the tribunal along with all other petitions dealing with the issue of Najafgarh lake rejuvenation. (PTI)
Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Saturday slammed the BJP-JJP government over the violence in Nuh district, accusing it of failing in its responsibility of ensuring security to the people.
He said the Congress will raise the issue in the assembly.
Six people, including two home guards and a cleric, died in the clashes that erupted in Muslim-dominated Nuh when a Vishva Hindu Parishad procession was attacked by mobs on Monday and later spread to Gurugram and its adjoining areas.
"A large number of people have been affected by this violence. Some houses and shops were attacked and people lost their lives. The state's economy will also be affected due to the breakdown of law and order," Hooda said.
"Why has this situation come up today? The right steps were not taken at the right time to stop the violence despite the local police giving the inputs to the government several days ago. The result of this failure was seen in the form of riots," he said. (PTI)
The Gurugram Police has booked a Panchkula resident for allegedly trying to send 1.213kg of opium to a person in the UK through courier, hiding it in a scrub tube, an oil bottle, and an infused cream plastic bottle.
The courier firm employees while scanning the contents of the parcel on Friday detected something was amiss, and called police.
A team of Haryana State Narcotics Control Bureau (HSNCB) took under its possession the package, which, when they opened it, was found to have been concealing opium.
According to a complaint filed by ASI Bijender Singh, Virender Singh, the Security Investigation Officer of DHL Courier Company of Udyog Vihar area, had on Friday informed the bureau about a suspicious parcel.
A team of Narcotics Control Bureau reached the spot took the package into its custody. (PTI)
Haryana authorities on Saturday razed dozens of illegal structures on the third day of the demolition drive in violence-hit Nuh district, with officials saying some of them were owned by those allegedly involved in the recent clashes.
The number of people arrested has gone up to 216, while 80 people have been taken into preventive detention and 104 FIRs registered so far in connection with the communal violence that erupted when a religious procession was attacked in Nuh district by mobs on July 31, according to Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij.
While the opposition pressed for a probe into alleged intelligence failure, Vij said he did not have information about any intelligence input on a possible build-up of tension. (PTI)
Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij has said he did not have information about any intelligence input on a possible build-up of tension in the wake of the religious procession that was attacked in Nuh district by mobs on July 31.
"I asked the ACS (additional chief secretary), Home, and the DGP. They also said they did not have any information," Vij said on Friday in response to a question on the violence that erupted in Nuh.
"Do not know who had it (intelligence input) or not, I do not have any information about it. At least I did not know about it," he said.
Referring to a TV channel sting of a CID inspector purportedly claiming that authorities had inputs about potential trouble during the VHP yatra in the Muslim-majority district, Vij said a video of the sting operation was going viral and it has to be investigated whom the inspector shared that intelligence with. (PTI)
A case was registered against unidentified persons after some people allegedly threw stones at the gate of a mosque in Haryana's Rohtak, police said on Saturday, as Nuh and other parts of the state return to normal after communal clashes that left six dead.
Police said the Rohtak incident took place Friday around 10:30 pm at Aanwal village and a case was lodged by mosque cleric Iqbal. They said security around the mosque has been tightened.
They said some unidentified people allegedly pelted stones at the gate of the mosque's boundary wall.
Upon getting information, Rohtak Additional Superintendent of Police Medha Bhushan reached the site Friday night with her team.
Police said a case has been registered and further investigation was underway. (PTI)
In a bid to stop the exodus of migrant workers from the city, district authorities Saturday visited a few slum areas and urged the labourers to go for their daily work without any fear.
Number of workers started fleeing to their native places in different states in view of violence that flared up here and in Nuh earlier in the week.
Gurgugram Deputy Commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav Saturday visited the slums near Sector 58 and 70 here as part of the ongoing exercise to build confidence among common people about their safety, along with maintaining law and order.
Interacting with the migrant workers, the DC told them that if anyone threatens them to leave the place, they should immediately inform the district administration and the nearest police station so that appropriate legal action can be taken against the miscreants.
The migrant workers said people have started returning to work after officials of the Rapid Action Force, police and district administration frequented their slums to assure safety. (PTI)
"I was at work in Mewat when I got to know about the violence. I returned to Nuh later, but I still haven't got my money for the day (Monday). I don't have any money to have a meal for one time," Dalchand told PTI.
A total of 202 people have been arrested so far and 80 taken into preventive detention in connection with the communal clashes in Haryana, state Home Minister Anil Vij said on Friday.
Six people, including two home guards and a cleric, died in the clashes that erupted in Muslim-dominated Nuh when a Vishva Hindu Parishad procession was attacked by mobs on Monday.
Waris Khan, who runs a fruit cart in Nuh, said people in the area are fear-struck since the clashes.
"We all are scared. Some people came and ransacked and burned down everything and now because of them everyone in Nuh is suffering," Waris said. (PTI)
Hindus and Muslims who bore the brunt of Nuh violence which saw six people killed and many shops gutted, say the region has not seen communal clashes at such a big scale since 1992, with each party attributing the flare-up to either Hindu rights group or local Muslim leaders.
The Vishva Hindu Parishad which organised the rally which forms the kernel of the confrontation claims the ruckus was doing of some 'anti-national people', who disrupted the procession.
Srikishan, a local resident, on the other hand, attributed the triggering of violence to administrative negligence and claimed there were very few policemen to begin with to manage the procession.
'Those who participated in the religious procession made provocative speeches hours before the clashes took place. There were few policemen at the spot. The administration and police swung into action much later, by the time violence had already started,' Srikishan said. (PTI)
The Delhi Police has lodged 26 FIRs in connection with the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal protests held across the national capital against the violence in Haryana’s Nuh, officials said.
Senior police officers said that the FIRs were lodged against unidentified persons as the protests were held without police permission.
The police are also identifying the people who took part in the protests through CCTV footage and legal action would be taken against them accordingly, a police officer said. Read more
Usually triggered even during short spells of rain, chronic waterlogging at ITO and its vicinity hit headlines a few weeks back as the problem got aggravated like never before with the Yamuna breaching its embankment and triggering a deluge that gradually made its way to the gates of the Supreme Court. Turns out, one reason behind this could be cement and concrete residue that has come to clog a network of minor drains in the area over the years.
The issue came to the fore during Lieutenant Governor (L-G) VK Saxena’s visit to assess G-20 preparations from Indraprastha Park to Bhairon Marg and its vicinity on Wednesday evening following which he directed the Public Works Department (PWD) to de-congest the drainage network well before the summit on September 10. Read more
After a spell of rainfall early Saturday morning across Delhi-NCR, light to moderate rain is expected over the next 24 hours as well, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
Over the past 24 hours, the Safdarjung weather station, the city’s base observatory, has recorded 53.8 mm of rainfall, after a moderate spell Friday night and light rain early this morning. The observatory in South Delhi’s Aya Nagar recorded the highest amount of rainfall over the past 24 hours – 69.6 mm.
Light rainfall remains on the IMD forecast for Delhi on Sunday, and from August 9 to 11. The maximum temperature is likely to be around 34 degrees Celsius on Saturday, and around 35 or 36 degrees over the week ahead. Read more
The authorities demolished scores of houses and other structures in Haryana’s Nuh district on Friday, days after communal violence broke out in the area and spread to nearby Gurgaon, killing six people, including two home guards.
In Chandigarh, Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij said 202 people had been arrested for the violence and 80 taken into preventive detention over the violence that began July 31 during a yatra organised by the VHP and the Bajrang Dal. Calling the clashes “pre-planned”, he promised action against the accused and said “bulldozers too will be used, if need be”.
Meanwhile, Nuh Deputy Commissioner Prashant Panwar and Superintendent of Police Varun Singla were transferred, an official order said. Singla, who was on leave when the clashes broke out, has been replaced with Narendra Bijarniya. Read more
The demolition drive in violence-hit Nuh district of Haryana continued for the third day on Saturday as authorities bulldozed illegal constructions on 2.6 acres of land around Nalhar Medical College in the state.
Around 15 other temporary structures were also demolished as part of the drive, police said.
“These were illegal constructions. Notices were already given to owners of the demolished structures. The owners of some illegal structures were also involved in the violence during the Braj Mandal religious yatra. The demolition drive will continue," Sub Divisional Magistrate Ashwani Kumar said.
A police official said the demolition drive began from Adbar Chowk and will continue till Tiranga Chowk. (PTI)
Members of Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) staged a protest outside Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court against the grant of anticipatory bail to Congress leader Jagdish Tytler in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case.
A Change of Land Use (CLU) file for the proposed Rapid Action Force (RAF) battalion headquarter at Nuh’s Indri village in Haryana has been pending for the past two years but was cleared within a day after the violence erupted in the district during a religious rally on July 31. Sources said that an early sanction for a battalion of the RAF, which got its formal sanction from the Central government in 2018, would have helped the police immediately to maintain law and order.
It is learnt that Gurgaon MP and Union Minister of State (MoS) Rao Inderjit Singh was pushing for clearing the file for the past eight years and the state officials geared up on July 31 after Singh raised the issue with Union Minister Amit Shah. Subsequently, the Centre asked the state to clear the hurdles with immediate effect. Finally, the state Town and Country Planning Department granted the CLU file for the RAF Battalion headquarters on August 1. Read more
Former AAP Minister Kapil Mishra, who joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2019, has been appointed as Delhi BJP vice president.
In fresh demolitions in Haryana’s Nuh, the district administration on Saturday morning razed houses and shops of local residents, days after six people including two homeguards were killed as communal violence erupted in the area before spreading to Gurgaon. Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Ashwani Kumar said the owners of some of the structures demolished on Saturday were involved in the violence.
Many houses and shops were torn down on Friday by bulldozers after the administration and the Forest Department started a crackdown on "illegal encroachments" on forest and municipal land. On being asked if notices were served before demolition, officials did not respond.
On Saturday, structures were brought down near Shaheed Hassan Khan Mewati Hospital in Nalhar, officials said. "Illegal construction was removed from 2.6 acres of land in front of Nalhar Medical College. More than 45 illegal constructions were demolished around the medical college. Around 13-15 temporary illegal structures were also demolished. Notices were already given to the owners of the demolished structures. The owners of some structures were also involved in the violence during the Braj Mandal religious yatra," said SDM Kumar.
Congress leader Jagdish Tytler arrived at the Rouse Avenue Court in connection with a case related to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots involving arson in a gurudwara in North Delhi. The court has listed the matter for scrutiny of documents of chargesheet on August 11.
A Delhi court Friday granted anticipatory bail to Tytler in the anti-Sikh riots case. The Court of Sessions Judge Vikas Dhull had further directed him to furnish bail bonds worth Rs 1 lakh and stated that the relief granted was subject to the condition that Tytler will not try to threaten or intimidate any of the witnesses and will not try to contact them in any manner whatsoever, till the conclusion of the trial.
Meanwhile, members of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) have been protesting outside the Rouse Avenue Court raising slogans of "Tytler murdabad" and "Tytler ko phaasi do".
Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij Friday reiterated that the way bullets were fired from hillocks and stones collected on rooftops of buildings indicates that the violence in Nuh was “pre-planned”. “There is a big game plan behind this. People climbed hills next to the temples, had lathis in their hands and gathered at entry points, all this is not possible without a proper plan,” Vij said, adding that “we will not rush to an early conclusion without a thorough investigation being done”.
The Haryana Cabinet meeting on Friday approved the Teacher Transfer Policy, 2023, under which a teacher who chooses to serve in Nuh and Morni areas of the state will get an incentive of an extra salary. The new policy aims to ensure equitable, demand-based distribution of teachers and heads of the schools to protect the academic interest of students and optimise job satisfaction among the employees in a fair and transparent manner, an official statement said.
The cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, approved the draft of the Teacher Transfer Policy, 2023, by repealing the previous policy issued five years ago. According to the new policy, the teacher has to be willing to be posted in a school located in Morni educational block of Panchkula district, or Hathin educational block of Palwal district or Nuh district (to be considered as Mewat area) against a vacancy. Read more
At least eight people have been arrested from Bharatpur and Alwar in connection with the violence in Nuh, following the Brij Mandal Yatra taken out by the VHP and Bajrang Dal on July 31, police said Friday.
According to Nuh SP Varun Singla, who was later relieved of his charge, “The arrested men are from Rajasthan’s Bharatpur and Alwar. We will be taking action against more people from these districts. They were nabbed after their involvement was found in the violence through social media posts, call details records, hard drive data, videos etc.” Read more