Chandigarh: Days after communal clashes in Nuh town of Haryana that claimed six lives and led to massive damage to public and private property after a religious procession ``Braj Mandal Yatra’’ was attacked by mobs, several Hindu outfits held a ``maha panchayat’’ in Palwal on Sunday and announced to resume the same procession in the Nuh on August 28.
Nuh and Palwal are adjoining districts.
Pertinently, it was this procession taken out by Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal which was stopped and attacked by mobs in Muslim-dominated Nuh town on July 31 last following which communal clashes erupted and spilled over to the adjoining areas including Gurugram.
Curfew and Prohibitory Orders Still In Place
While curfew is still clamped – though with relaxations - in the communally-sensitive Nuh district, prohibitory orders for assembly of four or more persons are still in force there under Section 144 CrPC.
Announcing to resume the said Yatra, several Hindu outfits, including VHP which held Maha panchayat on Sunday, also demanded that the investigation into the Nuh violence be handed over to the national investigation agency (NIA), Rs 1 crore relief and a government job to the families of the deceased, Rs 50 lakh to injured, total compensation for the damaged property, merging of Nuh district with Palwal and Gurugram districts and trial of the accused outside Nuh district.
Surprisingly enough, while some of the leaders of different groups also demanded from the government to relax gun licence for Hindus for self-defence, a cow vigilante group leader Acharya Azad Shastri demanded from the government to allow 100 arms in each Hindu village in the area. According to media reports, he went on to demand for rifles rather than guns for long range firing and exhorted the gathering not to be afraid of FIRs.
Heavy Police Deployment for Maha Panchayat
The said maha panchayat was earlier scheduled to be held in Palwal district’s Kira village though was held at Pondri village after the police denied permission for the village named first due to prevailing law and order situation. The police had also allowed an assembly of only about 500 people for the maha panchayat and on the condition that there would not be any hate speeches on the occasion.
Nuh Violence Death Toll Stands at 6
It may be recalled that the six people killed in the communal clashes included two Home Guards and a naib imam and three youths. Dozens of other people including police personnel were also grievously hurt during the clashes.
According to the Hindu outfits, the route of the August 28 Yatra would be from Nalhar Shiv Temple in Nuh to Firozpur Jhirka’s Jhir and Singar temples in the district.
Chief Minister's Response
Meanwhile, on being asked about the Maha Panchayat’s decisions, chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar who was in Karnal, told newspersons that he had always appealed to all sections of the society to maintain social harmony.
On the question of cow vigilante, he said that he (Monu) was an accused in a case of Rajasthan police and it must act against him if he was guilty.
