By – Prakarsh Kastwar
Mobile internet access will not be available in Haryana from August 26 to August 28.
Viresh Shandilya, the head of the Vishwa Hindu Takht (VHT), was held by the Haryana police on Monday just before he was set to travel to Nuh in South Haryana to take part in the ‘Jal Abhishek’ yatra. The VHT leader has reportedly been held under “house arrest” at his residence in Sector 1, according to SP Jashandeep Singh Randhawa.
After the Sarv Jatiya Hindu Mahapanchayat called for a “Shobha Yatra” on Monday in the Nuh district despite chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar denying permission for the procession, Haryana was placed on high alert with extensive security measures in place. This occurs at a time when the neighborhood was already tense due to communal conflicts last month.
They do not require permission to enter a temple, according to Shandilya, who on Sunday criticized Khattar for refusing to permit the Yatra.
The district administration implemented Section 144 in the meantime and urged people to refrain from moving in Nuh. The district’s banks and educational institutions, including all schools and colleges, will remain closed, according to Ashwini Kumar, the Nuh sub-divisional magistrate.
Top updates on Nuh Shobha Yatra:
- On August 13, the Sarv Jatiya Hindu Mahapanchayat issued a request to continue the Brij Mandal Shobha Yatra in Nuh, which had been postponed due to the district’s July outbreak of violence, on August 28. To ensure law and order, Manohar Lal Khattar did not authorize the yatra’s execution. The chief minister stated, “Since there was a law and order situation during the yatra last month and now it is the responsibility of the government to maintain law and order, that is why the permission to carry out this yatra was not given.” The chief minister was speaking at a program in Panchkula on Sunday.
- The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) declared on Sunday that Braj Mandal Shoba Yatra would be organized peacefully despite not being granted permission. Alok Kumar, the VHP leader, declared that “no issues relating to law and order would arise.”
- The VHP leader added, “We know that G20 is going to start, so we will shorten the yatra,” in a statement to the news agency ANI. But we won’t abandon it; we’ll finish it tomorrow. I’ll participate as well. In order for people to organize their religious gatherings peacefully and safely, the government’s role is to uphold law and order.
- A police spokesperson in Nuh reported that 24 companies of paramilitary soldiers and 1,900 members of the Haryana Police have been sent to the area. The road leading to the Malhar temple has also been closed, and the district’s entry points have also been sealed. However, regular traffic will still flow on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway and the KMP Expressway.
- Mobile internet access will not be available from August 26 to August 28 due to a state-imposed suspension.
- In preparation for the yatra, Dhirendra Khadgata, the deputy commissioner for Nuh, and Narendra Bijarniya, the superintendent of police, met with peace committees on Saturday. The Union Territory of Chandigarh’s police head, Kapur, also presided over a conference with senior officers from surrounding states, including Punjab, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chandigarh, and he called for coordinated action to cope with any growing scenario.
On July 31, when a religious procession led by the VHP was stoned, vandalized, and police and private vehicles were set on fire, racial tensions erupted in Nuh district. The conflicts resulted in the deaths of six persons, including two home guards and a cleric. Gurugram, which had previously experienced isolated acts of violence, was rapidly affected by the violence.
According to accounts, the fights started because Bajrang Dal leader Monu Manesar and his friends had disseminated a controversial video a few days prior and were scheduled to participate in the march. Manesar is a cow vigilante who is accused of killing two Muslim males.