The fact-finding team consisting of Vikash Narain Rai, former Director of National Police Academy, Hyderabad and DGP (Law and Order), Haryana, Dr. Sandhya Mhatre, social activist, and member of CSSS and Neha Dabhade, Executive Director of CSSS visited the affected areas in Nuh, Sohna and Gurugram from August 24 to 28, 2023.

Like Qudsiya, the fact-finding committee spoke to some other residents of the village- picturesque village nestled at the foot of imposing Aravalli Mountains, lush green fields and trees, cows and goats grazing in the green. The only eye sore in this vision- heaps of bricks and stones- remnants of the demolitions dotting the landscape. In the place of the houses, now stands small make do shelters with tarpaulin covers overhead. What was left of their belongings, was now stacked inside these shelters with no walls or covering from any side. The village now bereft of men due to fear of arrests by police, had women cooking in the open in the dusk, children playing near the heaps of stones and bricks of the demolished homes. There were no sanitation facilities compelling the women to go to the forest for nature’s calls.

This site of demolitions is approximately four kilometres away from the Shiv Temple of Nalhar where the Jal Abhishek took place. This land where their houses once stood is owned by the Forest Department. The residents resided on this land from 30 odd years in concrete houses. Never once in all these years were they served a notice to vacate this land. On August 4, 2023, the administration came and demolished their houses with bulldozers. The apparent reason cited was that of illegal encroachment of forest land. However, the families were not served adequate notices before the demolitions or given time to respond to them or evacuate to another place. According to Khatoon aged 60 years, another resident of the village, the demolition was systematically aimed towards inflicting maximum damage on the community. She narrated, “first the household items including washing machines, beds, sofas, TVs, tins of grains and fridges were destroyed and then they razed my house down”. The residents told us that though the reason cited by the administration was illegal encroachment, the residents believe that the demolitions which come on the heel of the communal riots, is to target the Muslim community and blame them for the violence. Qudsiya said, “My granddaughter was going to get married a couple of days after the demolition. We had stored food grains for the wedding. The officers who came for demolition kept alleging and taunting me that I had stored the grains to give food and shelter to the rioters! I kept explaining to them but they wouldn’t listen”. Muslims in the village and Nuh where they account for almost 80% of the population seem to believe that the administration has used the riot as a pretext to raze down properties of Muslims, continuing the pattern of meeting out “collective punishment” to the community as observed in other cases of communal violence.

This year on 31^st July, the Braj Mandal Jal Abhishek Yatra organized by VHP reached the Nalhar temple around 11am. The Yatra was flagged off in the morning from Civil Lines in Gurugram. The Yatra was to reach Ferozepur Jhirka via Nuh. After performing the Jal Abhishek, the participants of the procession returned to Nuh city. They were carrying swords and sticks. The slogans of “Jai Shree Ram” and “Mulle Kate Jayenge, Ram Ram chillayenge” were shouted. Little after 2 pm, near Mewli road, the processionists attacked were attacked by Muslim youth since they suspected that one of the cars in the procession was carrying Monu Manesar. This car reversed in high speed and knocked down a Muslim youth. The Muslim youth chased this car and stopped it. The car was carrying Bittu Bajrangi instead who was beaten up with the Muslim youth. But he was saved and managed to escape. After this, at around 2.30 pm, stones were pelted on Hotel Rizq by Bajrang Dal members as seen in one of the videos. The members of the procession who were on the road started vandalizing and torched vehicles of the road. Several vehicles were torched but the team couldn’t ascertain the exact number. In the pursuant violence, at some places, Muslim youth clashed with the members of the procession. In the violence, six lives were lost- two of the home guards and four of civilians.

After the violence in Nuh, the members in the procession went to Sohna and targeted Muslim owned properties in Nut colony. Three mosques including the Shahi Juma Masjid in Sohna were attacked. The Shahi Juma Masjid was attacked on 1^st August at 1.30pm. The violence spiralled to Gurugram too where the mob attacked the Anjuman Jama Masjid in Sector 57 and set it on fire and killed the deputy imam on the night of July 31, 2023. VHP threatened the Muslim migrant workers in sector 70 on August 1. Subsequently, over 128 families left for West Bengal and Bihar. In response to the violence, the Haryana administration has demolished over 750 properties in Nuh alone- all owned by Muslims. The team visited some sites of demolitions and interacted with the affected persons.

Arbitrary nature of the demolitions

In Nalhar stands the impressive Shaheed Hassan Mewati Medical College. Just in front of the College, the site that greets visitors was that of an extensive patch of rubbles- from demolished properties. 45 pakka (concrete) shops were demolished along with six to seven temporary structures.  It is worth noting that this site is around 4 to 5kms from the Nalhar temple, the epicentre of the violence and riots did not take place here. Mohammad Arif, aged 35, along with his brothers owned 22 shops which were razed down by the administration on August 5, from 8.30 am onwards. Some of these shops were rented out by Hindus for running labs and x-ray clinics. Arjun Shukla from UP was running a book depot. Raju Tea Stall was run by Raju Chopra. Global X Ray was run for the last two years by Mohit who is a radiologist. DL Ultrasound was run by Dr. Devkanth from Faridabad. One restaurant was run by Dev Raghav. Other shops were that of fast food, grocery opticians and labs run by Muslims.

Mohammad Arif’s father bought the land on which the shops were built in 1995. The documents shown proved that clearly. 12 years back in 2012 the family built 22 shops on the land after the medical college was built.  The family received about 80 to 85 thousand rupees per month as rent. The shops were built incrementally- it took INR 12 lakhs to erect five shops. Later it took about three lakhs to build each shop. Each shop was approximately 9 by 20 feet. These shops were razed down in a day. Mohammad Arif was not given any prior notice from the administration before demolition. Later he was shown a back dated notice. Mohit who was running Global X Ray corroborates that no notice was served prior to the demolition. During the demolition Mohit’s X-ray equipment and AC collectively worth 10 lakhs were damaged along with other damages. No reason was given to Mohit for the demolition and no notice was served either.

Mohammad Sharif too owned the land which was next to Mohammad Arif’s. He had bought the land in 2011 and constructed nine shops on the land. The shops had businesses of restaurants, labs, biryani shop, hair salon, pizza café and coaching centre. Most of the shops were rented out to different people- some of them were Hindus. Sharif received INR fifty-six thousand in rent each month. In 2011, he had spent three lakhs to construct one shop. He too didn’t get any notice before the demolition. Nawab Shaikh owned 15 concrete shops and containers in front of the Shaheed Hassan Mewati Medical College. He also has adequate proof to establish the ownership of the land where the shops stood. It was his ancestral property. It was demolished without notice. He ruled that the administration targeted the shops because they belonged to Muslims. He said, “Our shops were targeted because we are Muslims. There is nothing more to the demolitions”.

A recurring theme has emerged from various narratives surrounding the recent demolition drive in the region – a theme that highlights a stark discrepancy between the official claims of combating illegal encroachment and the reality of legitimate structures being mercilessly razed to the ground. Among the demolished properties were several concrete structures that not only possessed adequate proof of legal ownership but were also diligently paying property taxes to the administration? Two prominent cases that exemplify this issue are the Sahara Hotel and the Kajaria Tiles showroom, whose owners vehemently asserted their lawful ownership rights. What becomes evident from this distressing narrative is that, regardless of whether these structures stood on forest land or legal property, the principles of due process and fair hearings should have been meticulously followed. The demolitions took place in direct contravention of orders issued by the High Court, leading to a blatant disregard for established legal procedures, terming it as “ethnic cleansing”.

The Haryana High Court, recognising the gravity of the situation, took suo moto action to bring a halt to these arbitrary demolitions. The court issued a stay order, effectively preventing further destruction. It is noteworthy that the High Court went a step further and characterized the state administration’s actions as a case of ‘ethnic cleansing,’ highlighting the severity of the injustice committed. The narratives surrounding the recent demolition drive underscore a troubling trend of properties with legal ownership being targeted under the guise of combating illegal encroachments. The actions of the state administration, which bypassed due process and violated High Court orders, have brought into question the principles of justice and fairness.

 Men-less villages:

The village of Nalhar in Nuh, Haryana, has been gripped by a harrowing situation that has left its Muslim community living in fear and uncertainty. Arbitrary demolitions of homes, coupled with the threat of arrests, have driven Muslim men to flee their own villages. This crackdown by the police, targeting the Muslim community, has left the residents of Nalhar grappling with the profound consequences of this one-sided action. Residents of Nalhar firmly believe that the arrests made in the wake of communal riots disproportionately target the Muslim community, with almost all those apprehended belonging to this group. To make matters worse, the majority of those arrested are seen as innocent by the local community. Despite having solid alibis, Muslim men live under constant fear of being detained. The lack of communication or reasoning with the police has forced them to abandon their homes and loved ones.

In Nalhar, the pervasive fear of arbitrary arrests has forced Muslim men to flee their villages, leaving behind a void that is felt keenly by their families. For many, the hills surrounding the village have become their refuge, where they sleep at night despite the dangers posed by snakes and reptiles. The terror of arrest, it seems, outweighs the very real threats from the wild life. In this grim scenario, the burden of maintaining households and taking care of children has fallen squarely on the shoulders of the women in Nalhar. While they still manage to tend to the animals, they are unable to venture out to sell milk or work in the fields due to the constant fear of arrest that haunts the men in their families. This situation has left them feeling paralyzed and trapped, struggling to uphold the daily routines that once provided stability.

Arbitrary demolitions and arrests have emerged as a two-headed monster that has disrupted the lives of the Muslim community in Nalhar. Their homes reduced to rubble and their men in hiding, the residents are caught in a web of uncertainty and despair. The once-thriving village now bears the scars of a community living in fear, abandoned by its male members who are forced to seek refuge in the hills.

Impoverishment of an already marginalised community?

What can be surmised from these stories? What are the ramifications of the bulldozer justice meted out by the government which has taken mostly one-sided action against a particular community? Human lives- whether Hindus or Muslims has been adversely affected and there is an atmosphere of fear looming large in Nuh and other affected areas. The Meos and Mewat already infamous for low literacy rates and poor development indicators has been dealt a deadly blow by the violence and the subsequent arbitrary demolitions by the Haryana administration. The losses inflicted by the demolitions pushes an impoverished community further to the brink of destitution. Like Qudsiya from Nalhar quipped, “I don’t know if and when will we be able to build our house again. It will all depend on whether the arrests will stop and we can focus on our normal lives”. Mohammad Arif echoed these sentiments, “we had built the shops bit by bit so it was not very difficult. Now all we had was destroyed in one day in front of my eyes. I don’t know if we can rebuild these shops again”.

Major findings:

1. The communal riot in Nuh was a result of an ecosystem that was built up on hatred and impunity. The communal riot that took place in Nuh on July 31 has a context and broke out in an ecosystem where different factors have determined how this communal riot has unfolded. These factors giving rise to communal riots cannot be detached from the communal riot itself and its understanding. The extortion racket under the pretext of cow vigilantism, the under-development of the region of Nuh and the leadership of Nuh have shaped the ecosystem which gave rise to the communal riots. The hate speeches, the impunity given to the extortionists and the subsequent emboldening of them have demoralized the Muslim community which is forced into submission.
2. Was the communal riot planned?
   The participants of the Jal Abhishek Yatra were seen carrying swords and other arms. There was a certain preparedness for violence from the participants of the Yatra. A section of the Muslim youth incensed with the provocative speeches of right-wing leaders- Monu Manesar and Bittu Bajrangi, did not want these leaders to participate in the Ysatra given their history of extortion and murders against Muslims in the region. A section of the Muslim youth, wanted to apprehend a car in the Yatra thinking it was carrying Monu Manesar. The Muslim youth chased the car and attacked it. The Muslim youth didn’t want to attack the Yatra. The role of a section of Muslim youth in the violence can’t be denied. It had become a matter of their pride and honour in not allowing Monu Manesar to enter Nuh for the Yatra. The participants from the Yatra were also armed and their demeanour was aggressive and their slogans were provocative.The Hindu residents staying near the Nalhar Shiv Temple told the fact-finding team that there was gun firing near the temple and their houses on the afternoon of July 31, 2023. However, they couldn’t see who fired the bullets. Several vehicles were torched on the way to the temple. The Muslim residents of Nalhar have maintained that they often visit the temple and the relationships between the temple management, Hindu residents and Muslim residents in the village have been cordial. In fact, the Hindu residents that the fact-finding team spoke to were introduced by Arif who is owner of the shops that were demolished near the Shaheed Hassan Mewati Medical College. They share very warm relations. Arif attributed these strong ties to treatment of equality and that the Muslim don’t practice untouchability with the Hindu Dalit residents of Nalhar. The Muslim residents of Nalhar including those whose properties were demolished told the team that Muslims welcomed the Yatra and had no problem with the Yatra. Some residents near the mosque opposite the medical college even narrated how the participants from the Yatra were given water and refreshments by Muslim residents and the participants rested in their house on the way to the Shiv temple.It is important to bear in mind that the Braj Mandal Jal Abhishek Yatra is not a traditional Yatra which has a long history. The Yatra was started by VHP in Nuh since 2021. The Muslims in Nuh have never taken objection to the Yatra or opposed it. This is despite the vandalisation of a Mazaar next to the Shiv Temple in Nalhar that happened during the Yatra last year in 2022. The Mazaar was repaired by the committee of the Shiv temple in Nalhar through mutual understanding. Though thousands of people participate in the Yatra out of faith, the origins of the Yatra can be traced back to the political agenda of mobilizing Hindus for Yatra as a show of supremacy of Hindus. The Yatra this year was armed and took place in a charged atmosphere of hatred and acrimony. Participants were seen openly carrying arms and raising anti-Muslim slogans. This indicates the intention to foment trouble and instigate violence on the part of the organizers and participants of the Yatra.

3. Role of the State:
   
   The response of the police has been inadequate at multiple levels to state it mildly. The region of Nuh is simmering with discontent and questions on part of the Muslim community about the inadequate action taken against extortionists who are targeting Muslims brazenly under the pretext of cow vigilantism. There have been a series of mob lynching, abductions, and murders where the role of the extortionists including Manesar and Bajrangi is well known and public knowledge. When they openly and irresponsibly gave hate speeches before the Yatra, the angry Muslim community through the members of the peace committee had expressed concern about such instigation and possibility of violence. On July 29, when Monu Manesar released a video giving inflammatory speech, the members of the peace committee raised this issue with the higher authorities in the police.  The police assured the Muslim leaders that these extortionists will not be allowed to be part of the Yatra. Yet the hate speeches were flying thick and fast and the police didn’t act in time to prevent violence. The signs of the impending violence were writ large and yet the police turned a blind eye to the same. The police on August 28, demonstrated that if it has the will, it can stop communal riot from taking place even in a communally charged environment. This will appeared lacking on July 31.The residents of Nuh, both Muslims and Hindus as well as the video footage shows that there were no police or few police personnel available at the site of violence. The police arrived at the scene of the violence only at 6pm in the evening. For over three hours, the rioters were allowed to wreck violence while the police were absent from the scene. The police didn’t deploy the necessary force which should have been on the ground in anticipation of the Yatra which saw the participation of thousands of people from even the neighbouring district. The police couldn’t stop the vandalisation of vehicles or from the mob from spreading violence to the neighbouring districts.In the cases related to this riot, 61 FIRs are filed and 285 arrested.  The police have arrested mostly the Muslims, the arrests primarily took place between August 1 to 3. There were narratives of families who explained that men from their family, some who were playing rickshaws or came back from work or some who were out to buy milk or grocery were arbitrarily arrested by the police without explanation or even informing the families about where the arrested was kept. The families- only women and old infirmed have remained homes in most of the houses are left to run pillar to post to find out which police station has detained their loved ones- their fathers, husbands, brothers and sons and under which fabricated charges. They are seeking legal aid but all this comes at a huge cost. With the breadwinner of the families behind bars, the families are driven to destitution when they already had a hand to mouth existence. Entire villages and neighbourhoods are without men. This has left families, often composed of women and the elderly, in a state of distress, having to navigate a complex and expensive legal process. With the primary breadwinners behind bars, these families are now struggling to make ends meet, aggravating their already precarious financial situations.

   The state administration also has promoted the narrative that the Yatra was attacked by the Muslim community in Nuh supported by Congress leaders. They blame the opposition and the Muslim community for the violence. Thus, the administration chose this opportunity to demolish the properties of the Muslims and driving them homeless and without livelihood. Their lives have been shattered and they led a precarious existence. The extortionists are not called out for their role in this violence. After much delay Monu Manesar was arrested. However, the impunity and legitimacy that the state has given the extortionists by maintaining silence has emboldened them and their communities which hail them as heroes of sorts.

   It is important how the state viewed the violence. There are two divergent narratives that have emerged from the two coalition partners in the state government. While the BJP led by CM Khattar has termed the violence ‘pre-planned’ and places the blame on Muslims for the communal riots, deputy CM, Dushyant Chautala from Jannayak Janta Party in a bid to not alienate the Muslims has a more balanced view where he blamed the organizers- the VHP. “This is an unfortunate incident. A Yatra was being organized during which some people conspired an attack Yatris and the police. Violent incidents were reported at several places. There seems to be a big conspiracy behind this“, said CM Manohar Lal Khattar.  Similarly, Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij said ‘Bullets were fired from hills, stones were collected on roofs, and fronts were set up. It was planned by someone and we are investigating’ (The Hindu, 2023).

   On the other hand, Dushyant Chautala has blamed the organizers of the yatra for the violence. He said,” the yatra organisers did not give complete information about the yatra to the district administration. The incident took place due to this…Strict action will be taken against those found responsible for the incident“.

4. Damages:
   
   The most unfortunate loss that occurred during the communal riot is the loss of six lives. Two dead were home guards, two were participants from the procession- Pradeep Sharma- member of Bajrang Dal and one was the deputy imam from Anjuman mosque in Gurugram. Pradeep Sharma’s vehicle collided with the divider in Sohna. Though he himself walked to the hospital post the accident, he succumbed to his injuries eventually. The two Home Guard personnel have been identified as Neeraj and Gursewak, resulting from accident where two police vans collided with each other. The third victim has been identified as Bhadas village resident Shakti Singh Saini- drinking state. One victim, Abhishek of these six was said to be from Panipat was present in the process.During the communal riots, several vehicles were torched by the mob in Nuh- some near the railway station and some on the road to the Nalhar Shiv Temple. The team couldn’t ascertain the exact number of vehicles or who owned them. In Nuh, the mob vandalized a Hero Showroom (motorcycle showroom) and warehouse owned by Bansal family. According to some residents the team met, over 100 motorcycles were robbed and taken away by the mob. The team was also told that some motorcycles were found by the police in the neighbouring districts. The team was told by residents in Sohna that the owner of the Showroom instigated the mob in Nuh on their return to indulge in violence and attack properties belonging to Muslims in Sohna. In the Nut Colony in Sohna the stalls and shops belonging to Muslims were vandalized and some burnt down. One restaurant which was run by a tenant and owned by Hakam Master was torched by the mob while there were people in the restaurant. Fortunately, all the people in the restaurant could escape before the LPG cylinder blasted in the restaurant.The Badi Shahi Masjid in ward 18 of Sohna was attacked on 1^st August, 2023 at 1.30pm despite having police personnel guarding the mosque from the evening of 31^st July, 2023. The Hindu and Sikh neighbours of the Maulana Mohammad Kalim who is Imam of the mosque informed the Imam that there might be an attack on the mosque and subsequently, the imam asked the police for protection. The police personnel were stationed outside of the Mosque from the evening of July 31. In the presence of the police personnel a mob attacked the mosque on August 1.  They were shouting anti- Muslim slogans and carrying swords, hammer, rods and knives. The attack continued for 15 minutes before the police asked for enforcements. When the police enforcements arrived, they fired in the air and dispersed the mob. They didn’t apprehend any miscreant or catch them. The neighbours came to check on the Imam and his family and advised them to move out of the mosque for a few days for their safety. The Sikh and Hindu neighbours evacuated the children and the family members of the imam to the safety of their relative’s house.

   After the Imam filed a FIR, four accused were arrested. Though more accused were named in the FIR, the police in charge informed the Imam that they cannot arrest more accused since the atmosphere in the city was charged up and tense. The Imam has little hope that the perpetrators will be brought to justice.

   While the perception that Hindus in Sohna sustained heavy damage was widely prevalent, the team despite making several enquiries and requests did not find properties belonging to Hindus to be attacked or damaged in Sohna.

   The violence after Sohna spread to Gurugram where the mob attacked the Anjuman Mosque in sector 57 of Gurugram in the late night of July 31. The deputy Imam of the mosque was brutally murdered by the mob. Gurugram also has sizeable influx of migrant workers from West Bengal and Bihar. Sizeable number is that of Bengali speaking Muslims. On 1^st August in the morning around 11.30 am, a mob came to their basti in sector 70 of Gurugram and threatened the migrants to leave Gurugram. The mob beat up a 16 years old young boy in the basti and another 70 years old man. They sustained injuries. The mob raised anti-Muslim slogans and said they won’t allow any Muslims from outside live and work in Gurugram. According to the residents of the basti, out of 128 families, merely 7 to 8 families stayed back and the rest went back to their homes in West Bengal and Bihar. The fear amongst remaining families were palpable. They were waiting for the procession that was going to be organised on August 28, 2023 to pass peacefully so that they could return to their homes and work in Gurugram. The VHP organized another Braj Mandal Jal Abhishek Yatra in Nuh to complete the Yatra that could not be completely on July 31. There were posters put up by VHP in common spaces in the city demanding that the Muslims leave Gurugram before 28^th August or face consequences.

   The narrative that the team heard prior to visiting the affected areas was that the Hindu mob was enraged at the heavy damage that the Hindus suffered in Nuh and thus the Hindu mob inflicted damage on the Muslim properties in Sohna, Palwal and Gurugram. However, the fact-finding team did not come across any damages suffered by the Hindus on their properties. Similarly, while it was widely believed that majority of the properties damaged were of Hindus, the team found that mostly, the properties of the Muslims were damaged.

   The demolitions that the administration undertook after the communal riots appeared to be targeted towards the Muslim community since almost all the properties demolished- over 1200 were owned by the Muslims. The Muslims clearly sustained heavy damages. The total structures demolished were 443 of which 162 were permanent and 281 were temporary. Similarly, the number of persons affected from the demolition drive were 354, of which 71 were Hindus and 283 were Muslims,” claimed the Nuh Deputy Commissioner, Dhirendra Khadgata, has said in a 400-page affidavit (Sandhu, 2023). However, the fact-finding team despite making efforts to trace to the properties owned by Hindus were unable to find any properties belonging to Hindus which were demolished. It is important to note that, on August 7, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had raised questions on the demolition drive, asking whether properties of a “particular community” were targeted “under the guise of a law and order problem”, and an “exercise of ethnic cleansing” was being conducted. It had asked the state government to file an affidavit on how many buildings had been demolished, and if any notice was issued before demolition.

5. Impact of the communal riots:The communal riots in Nuh that took place on July 31, 2023 were first communal riots in decades in the region. The communal riots exposed the fissures in the social landscape which is now dominated with the hegemony of extortionists and a state which is emboldening them to further its agenda of treating Muslims as second-class citizens and making them vulnerable to physical attacks and economically impoverished. While the Muslim community feels cornered and targeted due to these constant attacks by extortionists and lack of action by the state to bring them to action, the extortionists are being celebrated by a section of their communities as heroes. They are demanding that the extortionists are not arrested. With significant delay Monu Manesar was arrested. There was a Mahapanchayat that decided to have another Jal Abhishek Yatra to complete the Yatra that could not be completed on July 31, 2023. There is drawing of lines on communal basis which is polarizing the communities. The arrests too have created an atmosphere of fear and distrust, the neighbours can’t trust their own fellow neighbours and they feel that their names can be given to the police and they can be falsely implicated.

   The reach out of the VHP and Bajrang Dal is also evident in the communities where the Dalit community in Nalhar and especially women have come out vociferously against the Muslims and blaming them for the violence. There are unsubstantiated allegations of eve teasing against the Muslims which is oft repeated rhetoric promoted by the Hindu right-wing organizations. At the same time, there is a counterweight to this politics and mobilization in the form of the farmers’ and khap panchayats collectives which have taken a positive stand that hatred and targeting of Muslims will not be supported by these collectives. Such a Mahapanchayat for brotherhood and communal harmony was organized in Alwar in August where prominent farmer’s leaders including Rakesh Tikait were present and came out in support of communal harmony in Mewat. The collectives have emphasised on the common identity of farmers and the history of fraternity between Hindus and Muslims in the region. The Mahapanchayat held in Alwar of the farmers and khaps and the message of unity and fraternity it gave out created a positive environment where even the police and state had to take cognizance and compelled to prevent repeat of violence on August 28.

Recommendations:

1. Impartial probe:
   The state action seems one sided where members of Muslim community are arrested. There are strong claims that innocent have been arrested. There has to be impartial probe into the violence that took place on 31^st July by SIT or Judicial commission. The use of swords and guns also indicate pre-planning as it is not possible to gather such arms spontaneously. Thus, this aspect of the violence should also be probed into.

2. Legal action into the violence perpetuated by the extortionists under the pretext of cow vigilantism. The lynching and murders of the Muslim youth in Mewat have gone unpunished. Not only have the perpetrators not brought to justice but the family members of the victims been slapped with cases like in the case of Pehlu Khan. In some ways this has led to disillusionment in the criminal justice system to get any justice. The extortionist networks are still scot-free in the public spaces, emboldened by lack of action and thus carrying out attacks unabatedly against the Muslims. Strictest and impartial action must be taken against the perpetrators especially those who have been alleged of multiple attacks.

3. Disbanding of the Gau Rakshak Dal:
   The Gau Rakshak Dals are supported by the police and state which gives legitimacy to extortionists under the pretext of cow vigilante which pursues witch- hunt of the Muslims. These networks are working with impunity against innocent citizens. These networks must be disbanded and the first step towards it would be withdrawal of police support and recognition to the same.

4. Compensation:
   It is alleged by multiple owners of the properties that were demolished that due process was not followed in demolishing their properties. The fact-finding team found out that the houses that were demolished in Nalhar near the foot of the mountains were built and existed for over 30 years. They had electricity and water bills- all the documents needed. Though the land belonged to the Forest Department, the residents were living there for over 3 decades. They were not served notices with adequate time to reply or take recourse to law. The properties near the Medical College and others in Nalhar and Nuh were also arbitrarily demolished though the owners had proof of ownership. Due course was not followed in either case resulting in gross injustice. The timing of the demolitions seen in the light of the statements of the state ministers indicate that the demolitions were carried out to target the Muslim community. These demolitions have caused emotional as well as financial hardships to the owners and thus they should be compensated fully and adequately.

5. Rehabilitation for women:
   Demolition of houses have forced women of the household to live in appalling conditions with no sanitation facilities and security. The state should take adequate care to provide these facilities to the women and rehabilitate them at the soonest.

Related:

The slow but sure marginalisation of Nuh’s Meo Muslims: a report

The post Anatomy of Violence in the Hitherto peaceful Nuh appeared first on SabrangIndia.

To understand the factors behind this incident of violence, a fact-finding team comprising of Vikash Narain Rai, former Director, National Police Academy, Hyderabad and former DGP (Law and Order) Haryana, Dr. Sandhya Mhatre, Executive Council member of Centre for Study of Society and Secularism (CSSS) and Neha Dabhade, Executive Director of CSSS visited Nuh, Sohna and Gurugram from August 24 to 28, 2023.

The Mewat Landscape

Mewat district was renamed Nuh in 2016, because Mewat is a cultural region which spans the state of Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. The district comprises Nuh, Taoru, Nagina, Ferozepur Jhirka, Indri, Punhana and Pinangwan blocks, 431 villages and 297 panchayats.

Nuh district is one of the 22 districts in the Indian state of Haryana. It has an area of 1,507 square kilometres (582sq mi) and 10.9 million population. It is bound by Gurgaon district on the north, Rewari district on the west and Faridabad and Palwal districts on the east. It is predominantly populated by the Meos, who are agriculturalists, and Muslims.

The total population of Mewat district is 1,089,263 as per the census of 2011. Muslims constitute 79.20% of Mewat population. Hindu are a minority in Mewat district forming 20.37% of total population (Population Census 2011, n.d.). Nuh Town’s current population in 2023 is 22, 300 and 2636 houses. Hindus make up 49 % of the population and Muslims 51% in the town.

How did Nuh, formerly known as Mewat, fall from the fabled position of ‘bharat ke reed ki haddi’ to being battered by communal violence? To understand this, it is important to grasp and comprehend the dynamics of the communal riot that unfolded on July 31 with all its complexity.

Mewat is the region which is spread out over some parts of Rajasthan, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh. Mewat region comprises of Nuh in Haryana, Bharatpur and Alwar districts in Rajasthan and Mathura in Uttar Pradesh. Though there are state boundaries in the region which are political, socially, and culturally similar, there is fluidity in the region with people across state boundaries sharing similar traditions and culture.

Factors such as its economic underdevelopment, illiteracy and fissures in social and political landscape can help trace the roots of this violence in Nuh. The communal riot that unfolded in Nuh can’t be understood in isolation but as part of an ecosystem that exists and the changes that have place over the years.

Complex History of Mewat

The history of Meo Muslims in Mewat is a tapestry of religious diversity, cultural assimilation, and the challenges faced by a community at various points in time. The Meos have demonstrated resilience and adaptability in the face of adversity. The history of the Meo Muslims in the Mewat region is a fascinating tale of cultural and religious interactions that span centuries. From the unique beliefs of figures like Baba Laldas to the challenges faced during India’s partition in 1947, the Meo community’s journey is marked by a complex interplay of faiths, rulers, and societal changes.

One shining example of syncretic traditions of Mewat is Baba Laldas, originally named Lal Khan Meo, who was born into a Muslim family in 1540. What makes him particularly remarkable is his belief in Nirguna Bhakti, a formless devotion to Lord Ram, while still adhering to Islam. Scholars have highlighted that Baba Laldas preached cow-worship, vegetarianism, and the chanting of Lord Ram’s name, showcasing a unique fusion of Islamic and Hindu elements in his spiritual practice. Interestingly, the Meo Muslims in Mewat have not and did not identify themselves as completely Muslim. Over the centuries under the influence of Sufi saints, the Hindus converted into Islam but yet retained their Hindu identity in observance of festivals and social institutions like gotra etc. The contribution of Meos is also well documented in the revolt against the British in 1857 and subsequent freedom struggle and before that even against the Mughals.

For instance, Hasan Khan Mewati, went to war with the Central Asian invader Babur. The Muslims that this fact-finding team met lamented that though Mewat is called mini-Pakistan, the Meo Muslims are proud of their history which stands as a testimony to their fight against injustice- both against the Mughals and the British. Their bravery is legendry.

The region of Mewat is famous for its composite culture, communal harmony and the distinct identity of the Meo Muslims who inhabit the region. The Meo Muslims don’t identify themselves completely as either Hindus or Muslim.  There are many oral epics in this region where Muslim jogis have popularized epics like Gopichand, Bhartrihari and Pandun ka kada, indicating their affinity with Hindu religious traditions. Ethnographers like Crooke, Sherring and Russell refer to the strong Hindu components of their tradition: their folklore which attributes their celebration of their origin to Arjuna, Krishna and Rama; Hindu festivals like Holi and Dussehra; their marriage customs which combine the nikah with Hindu ceremonies; their mixed names such as Fateh Singh, and so on (Mayaram, 1988).

In the latter half of the 14th century, a new ruling class emerged in Mewat known as the Khanzadas (1390-1527). Despite their Muslim identity, the Khanzadas traced their lineage back to the Jadon Rajputs. They played a pivotal role in shaping the Meo community by encouraging a shift from pastoral lifestyles to settled agriculture. Additionally, they actively worked on Islamising the Meos, establishing mosques and appointing Qazis to administer Shariah law.

Close interaction with the Mughal administration resulted in the Meos adopting various Islamic practices, such as Nikah (marriage) and burial rites. Islamic festivals like Id-ul-fitr, Ramzan, Shab-e-barat, and the Urs of Sufi saint Khwaja Muinuddin Chishti gained popularity among the Meos. Moreover, Muslim names became more prevalent within the community.

As the Mughal empire weakened, the Hindu Jats began to exert their influence in Bharatpur, leading to conflicts with the Meos. In the early 1920s, the Meos faced a serious threat from the Arya Samaj’s Shuddhi movement, which aimed to reconvert them to Hinduism. In response, Meo leaders invited the Tablighi Jamaat to Mewat to strengthen their faith, leading to a ban on Hindu practices. However, a full Islamisation of the Meo community took several more decades.

During India’s partition in 1947, the princely states of Alwar and Bharatpur saw a violent pogrom directed against the Meos. The rulers of these states supported the Arya Samaj and Shuddhi movement, which sought to convert Muslims to Hinduism. This support led to the rise of organizations like the Hindu Mahasabha and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Discriminatory taxation policies triggered a Meo revolt, culminating in a tragic incident in Govindgarh, Alwar, in January 1933, where the state army opened fire on a crowd, resulting in over 30 deaths.

Narayan Bhaskar Khare from the Hindu Mahasabha became the prime minister of Alwar in April 1947 and an advisor to the state of Bharatpur. He convinced India’s Home Minister Sardar Patel that a Meo revolt was brewing and that Meo areas might attempt to join Pakistan. This suspicion led to a large-scale flight of Meos from Bharatpur to Alwar on June 18, 1947, resulting in a massive loss of life. Historian Shail Mayaram estimated that a significant number of Meos sought refuge in Pakistan due to these events (Balachandran, 2023).

The people of Mewat proudly remember that Gandhi visited Ghasera village after partition when the frenzy of communalism had taken over people and the King of Alwar was spreading rumours against the Meo Muslims who revolted against him for high taxations. It was Gandhi who had stopped the Meo Muslims from Mewat from migrating to Pakistan. The Meos stayed back in India out of love for their country and became an integral part of the region.

Underdeveloped economy

Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy of Nuh. The communities in the region given the land condition and other factors have been pastoral communities. The biggest challenge to agriculture in Nuh is that it is mostly rain-fed and the irrigation facility is inadequate to supply water. Thus, 400 out of 435 villages in the district are facing a water crisis. Agriculture production measured in terms of crop yield per hectare in Mewat is comparatively low to the other districts of the state. In recent years, two canals are proposed in the region which are important for Nuh. However, this makes for a stark contrast between Nuh and other parts of Haryana and Nuh and the neighbouring Punjab – regions which are rich in agriculture having substantial irrigation facilities. This lack of the crucial irrigated water has starved the agriculture and in turn the economy of the district.

Animal Husbandry, particularly dairy is the secondary source of income for people of Mewat and those who live closer to the hilly ranges of Aravali also keep a few sheep and goats. The Meo Muslims in Nuh are traditionally pastoral and the community is heavily dependent on cattle for dairy business. Cattle becomes the centre of their livelihood. This also explains the rise of cow vigilantism in the region which will be dealt with later. It is noteworthy that given the high dependency of their livelihood on the cows and cattle in culmination with cultural factors, the Meo Muslims of Mewat don’t consume beef and venerate the cows.

Till a few years back, mining was an avenue for livelihood for the youth in Nuh. But after the ban on mining brought by the Supreme Court order, mining as a source of livelihood has closed. The Niti Aayog of India has ranked Nuh the lowest on development indicators like health and education in 2018. Ironically, Nuh borders Gurugram which is an IT hub but does not have university or college other than the Shaheed Hasan Mewati Medical College which came up in 2012.  Students aspiring to study in universities must go out of the district. The region in general has poor educational infrastructure leading to low literacy rates especially female literacy rate.

These restricted livelihood options along with low literacy rate have pushed the youth to take to cybercrime, giving it the notorious sobriquet of the new “jamtara” of India.  The youth of Nuh have taken to sextortion and cyber frauds on different platforms like OLX. It was reported by a section of media that the attack on the cyber police station in Nuh on July 31, can be attributed to the motive of the criminals in the cases related to cyber-crimes and sextortion to destroy evidence in the cases. It is alleged that the tensions on July 31, were used as a smokescreen to tamper and destroy evidence in the cyber police station.  While Nuh has been under the media limelight for the wrong reasons calling Nuh “ground zero for cybercrimes” etc. and has been at the receiving end of the police crackdown on cybercrimes, little attention or light has been shed on the deplorable economy and lack of livelihood options in the district pushing the youth to resort to such crimes. Some section of residents of Nuh believe that the police crackdown is also attributed to the Muslim majority population of the district and the action is targeted towards Muslims.

Political history of Mewat

Before the delimitation exercise for Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha constituencies in Haryana in 2007 and 2008, all Meo-dominated assembly constituencies formed part of the Faridabad parliamentary seat. The three assembly seats under the Nuh district are Nuh, Punhana and Ferozepur Jhirka. Currently, all the three seats are held by Congress MLAs, and all of them are Meo Muslims — Aftab Ahmed from Nuh, Mohammad Ilyas from Punhana, and Moman Khan from Ferozepur Jhirka assembly constituency. About 80% of Nuh population is made up of Muslims.  In the 2019 state elections, both Hathin and Sohna in Gurugram went to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with Praveen Dagar and Sanjay Singh representing the two constituencies respectively.

The political landscape of Nuh has always been dominated by a few political families. The families of Khurshid Ahmed and Tayyab Hussain have been prominent families elected multiple times. Khurshid Ahmed became a member of the legislative assembly (MLA) five times between 1962 and 1982 from Congress. He represented Nuh in 1962, 1968, and 1991 and Tauru in 1977 and 1987. His father, Kabir Ahmed, became an MLA in a by poll in 1975 and 1982, while his son Aftab Ahmed, the present MLA from Nuh, was elected to the assembly in 2009 and 2019.

Tayyab Hussain was MP 1971-1976 (Gurugram seat) and 1980-1986 (Faridabad seat) and MLA from Janata Party from the region. Zakir Hussain, his son, is a three-time MLA, and the administrator of the Haryana Waqf Board. He won the 1991 election as an Independent from Tauru (a part of Mewat before delimitation), in 2000, he won the seat on a Congress ticket while in 2014, he became MLA from Nuh as an Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) candidate.

Despite the popularity and steady support enjoyed by the political representatives, there is little development in terms of education or livelihood in the region. Lack of education in the Mewati youth has hindered leadership in them to emerge as a force to reckon with in the future. Additionally, delimitation exercise has rendered prospects of Meo Muslims getting elected from other neighbouring districts difficult. Ironically, according to Subhash Bansal, a BJP supporter, and a businessman from Sohna, in Sohna, the elected representatives have been from out of Sohna. The political parties haven’t given opportunities to the natives from Sohna in electoral politics. These factors have marginalised new Meo Muslims from the political landscape of the broader region.

Extortion, Lynching and Impunity post 2014

With the rise of BJP in 2014 at the centre, cow vigilantism has become a strong trend in the region. While the BJP hasn’t been able to make a dent in the electoral contest in Nuh, the narrative of Muslims from the region being cow smugglers and slaughtering cows has gained currency overall. While the term ‘cow vigilante’ is commonly used to refer to these anti-social elements, the term is misleading and accords some legitimacy to them. Cow protection is used merely as a pretext to extort money from those buying and selling and those who can pay are allowed to transport cattle by these extortion networks. The extortion network in the region has blatantly abducted Muslims under the pretext of cow slaughter. They are beaten or worse lynched to death. Extortion and threats have become common place. If the Muslims transporting cattle can pay they are allowed to pass but those who can’t pay are beaten up. While the façade the gau rakshaks have adopted is that of “protecting” the cow as holy to Hindus, however, there are increasing reports of how this is used a pretext to extort money from the Muslims wanting to buy or sell cattle. It has become a business for extortionists. So treacherous is transporting cattle in this region and the fear writ large that either the Muslims request their Hindu neighbours to transport the cattle for them or give up their livelihood completely in an economy heavily dependent on dairy industry. Like the two hundred cattle traders of Rojka Meo, a village in Mewat, Haryana, who are on the verge of giving up their traditional livelihood of sale and purchase of buffaloes.

The communal riots in Nuh that took place on July 31, 2023 are intricately linked with the systematic and blatant targeting of the Muslims in the region with no prospects of justice from the state. The residents have been aghast and resentful about how easily Muslim youth are kidnapped or abducted and murdered with the state doing little to ensure that the culprits are brought to justice. Worse, the state in some way is giving patronage to the extortion network who take it as a cue to blatantly to target the Muslims.

In 2015, the Haryana government implemented the Cow Promotion and Protection Act. To strengthen this law, a Cow Protection Taskforce was formed in 2021, which includes non-government persons. This Gau Raksha Dal tracks incidents of “cow smuggling” and “cow slaughter” in the area and informs the police. The so called gau rakshaks take the liberty to confiscate any cattle or even enter private property to take away cattle belonging to Muslims.

For instance, Haji Jamat Ali had kept his cattle for two and a half months in a farmer’s field in Bai Kheda village in Gurugram district, three to four kilometers away from his village, Khori Jamalpur. His children were present there to look after the cattle. Suddenly on June 30, some youths wearing saffron scarves around their necks came there shouting communal slogans and took away all the cattle tied in the field with them. They took away 56 cows belonging to Haji’s family whose primary source of livelihood is selling of milk (Jha, 2023). , Bittu Bajrangi, has been booked by police in this case for attacking and snatching milch cattle. This is not an isolated case. The question that resonates then in the region is “can’t a Muslim rear cow in Mewat?” In the face of such grave provocation, the Meo Muslims have demonstrated restraint and no communal incident has taken place in the past.

Cases of cow vigilantism

Pehlu Khan (55) was transporting cattle from Jaipur in a weekly fair to Nuh, his village. Khan, dairy farmer, was waylaid by a mob of extortion network in Alwar on April 1, 2017 and beaten up mercilessly. Khan died in the hospital. The extortion network accused him and his companions including his sons of being cattle smugglers. The then Rajasthan home minister Gulab Chand Kataria belonging to the BJP ‘justified’ the attack and said both parties were to be blamed for Pehlu Khan’s death. The police after pressure from the family of Khan and civil society arrested the accused. However, all six accused were acquitted in Alwar court. Additionally, Khan’s sons were also framed under the Rajasthan Bovine Animal (Prohibition of Slaughter and Regulation of Temporary Migration or Export) Act, 1995.

Then, again, 42-year-old Umar Mohammad from Ghatmika of Bharatpur district, Rajasthan was a dairy farmer. He was shot dead in November 2017 while transporting cows in a pickup with his two companions and his body was found on railway tracks near Govindgarh in Alwar. Four days after the assault, police said two ‘gau rakshaks’, Ramveer Gujjar and Bhagwan Singh, both in their thirties, arrested in connection with the case, had confessed to the assault as well as mutilating Umar’s body and dumping it on the railway track, about 15 km away, to make it look like an accident. The accused have been booked under sections 302, 307, 147 and 201 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

But the police –in their crime reports –have called both sides criminals. They claim that Umar and his two companions, Tahir and Javed, were habitual cattle smugglers and were using a stolen pickup to transport cows.

Akbar Khan alias Rakbar, a resident of Kolgaon village on Rajasthan-Haryana border, was lynched to death by extortion network in Alwar in Mewat when he was transporting cows for milking in July 2018. He was accused of cow smuggling. Khan’s post-mortem report revealed that he died of shock and injuries from a blunt weapon or object and he succumbed to multiple injuries following the brutal attack. Akbar had 12 injury marks on his body and he died of excessive internal bleeding. Khan’s friend and companion, Aslam, in a written statement to police, said around five men beat Akbar with sticks. According to the charge sheet, the three accused attacked Khan at Lalawandi village in Alwar district when he was transporting his two cows and their calves, eventually leading to his death (Tabeenah, 2018).

On May 16, 2021, Asif Khan, a resident of Khera Khalilpur village in Nuh district of Haryana was murdered by some residents from his own village. Asif was kidnaped when he went to Sohna to buy medicines to treat his typhoid. His family allege that he was beaten mercilessly. He was stabbed in his eyes and his bones broken. They stabbed him in the chest with an iron rod and shot him in the arm and leg. While the police attribute this to “old enmity”, the family insists that he was targeted because he was a Muslim and the perpetrators didn’t want Muslim families to live in the Hindu majority village. The arrested in the case were associated with the BJP (Saxena, 2021).

Waris, a 22-year-old from Nuh, died on January 28, 2023 when the extortion network attacked him while returning from Bhiwadi. Allegedly, Monu Manesar, infamous ‘cow vigilante’ belonging to Bajrang Dal and VHP had uploaded a video on his facebook which showed him and his associates attacking Waris. However, the police claim that Waris Khan died when his vehicle met with an accident. Khan’s family has alleged that he was either strangulated or his internal organs were injured since there are no marks of injury or wound on his body (The Scroll, 2023).

Nasir and Junaid who belonged to Ghatmeeka village in Rajasthan, were abducted from Bharatpur and killed by cow vigilantes after abducting them. Their charred bodies found near Loharu in Bhiwani on February 16, 2023. They were burnt alive in the car. Before the dead bodies of Nasir and Junaid were discovered, a video was posted by Monu Manesar, boasting of having the support of the Haryana police while posing with rifles and arms.

The common thread that runs in all these cases is the impunity with which the extortion networks have attacked Muslims in the Mewat region. The Muslims are mercilessly and blatantly beaten up and killed. These cold-blooded murders are boasted about by cow vigilante like Monu Manesar as badge of honor. This fearlessness of the extortion network and the patronage given to them by the police and the ruling political party has created resentment in ordinary Muslims. This outrage at the lack of justice in the face of naked show of power and claiming innocent lives, leaving behind destitute and devastated families, has not been heeded by the state. Recently, a memorandum was given to the President of India titled ‘Demand for a ban on Special Cow Protection Task Force and justice for families of Junaid and Nasir’ by the civil society. The helplessness and outrage of the Muslim community in the face of these murders can be attributed to the reaction of the Muslims to the video posted by Monu Manesar and Bittu Bajrangi and the subsequent attack by a section of the Muslim youth.

Immediate context of July violence

A couple of days before the procession on July 31, 2023 on a video Monu Manesar, a fugitive who was wanted in the murder of Junaid and Nasir, had urged his followers to be present in the Braj Mandal Jal Abhishek procession as he will be attending it. This inflamed tempers of a section of Muslims in the region. Similarly, on the morning of July 31, in a video Bittu Bajrangi challenged the Muslim community to welcome him with flowers and gave out his location. He said, “Apke jijaji aa rahe hai. Phoolonse Swagat ke liye khade rahe na”. This was seen as a challenge by the Muslim youth, which provoked a section of the youth. The Muslim youth prepared to attack Monu Manesar who continuously targeted the Muslim community members and running an extortion racket in the name of cow vigilantism. The Braj Mandal Jal Abhishek yatra was organised by the VHP and Bajrang Dal since 2021. So far barring vandalizing of a mazaar near the Nalhar Shiva temple last year, there was no history of violence during the yatra. The procession or yatra started from civil lines in Gurugram on the morning of July 31. The Yatra was to reach Ferozepur Jhirka via Nuh. After performing the Jal Abhishek at the Nalhar Shiv temple, the participants of the procession returned to Nuh city at around 2.30pm. Some participants were carrying arms- swords, lathis and guns when the procession entered Nuh. They raised anti- Muslim slogan – “Mulle Kate Jayenge, Ram Ram chillayenge” rented the air.

Thus, on July 31, around 2.00 pm near the Mewli road, when a white car in the procession was passing, a section of the Muslim youth suspected that the car was carrying Monu Manesar. According to activists in Nuh, the car reversed at high-speed knocking down a Muslim boy. That gave rise to the suspicion that the car had Monu Manesar. The Muslim youth chased the car and stopped it. They pulled out the man in the car who turned out to be Bittu Bajrangi and beat him up. But he escaped. This triggered communal riots in Nuh.

In response to the attack by the Muslim youth on the car, at around 2.30pm, stones were pelted on Hotel Rizq by Bajrang Dal members as seen in one of the videos. The members of the procession who were on the road started vandalizing and torched vehicles. Several vehicles were torched. In the pursuant violence, at some places, Muslim youth clashed with the members of the procession. Gun shots were heard near the Shiv temple in Nalhar. In the violence, six lives were lost- two of the home guards and four of civilians including the death of deputy Imam from a mosque in Gurugram.

Reaction of violence in Sohna and Gurugram

After the violence in Nuh, the members in the procession went to Sohna and targeted Muslim owned properties in Nut colony. Three mosques including the Shahi Juma Masjid in Sohna were attacked. The Shahi Juma Masjid was attacked on August 1, at 1.30pm. The violence spread to Gurugram too, where the mob attacked the Anjuman Jama Masjid in Sector 57, set it on fire and killed the deputy imam on the night of July 31, 2023. VHP threatened the Muslim migrant workers in sector 70 on August 1. Subsequently, over 120 Muslim families left for West Bengal and Bihar. In response to the violence, the Haryana administration has demolished over 750 properties in Nuh alone – all owned by Muslims. The team visited some sites of demolitions and interacted with the affected persons.

Muslims as criminals and extortionists or nationalists? Selective response of the state:

The police in the past couple of years have cracked down on the cyber-crimes in the region. The Muslim youth pushed towards crime due to various factors seen above has been arrested. While there is no debate that criminals committing crime must be brought to justice, the question which cannot be ignored either is that if the police are acting against criminals based on their religion? If the Muslims committing cyber-crimes are should be punished, then why shouldn’t the Hindu right wing group activists and extortionists using the pretext of cow protection not be punished? Isn’t extortion and beating up and murdering innocent citizens not a crime? The selective action of the state and the police have raised questions about equality before law and justice.

The police have been aware about the cases of lynching and extortion. The families of those murdered have been implicated in cases and justice denied to the families and the deceased in the cruelest way. There is little hope of justice.

In this atmosphere of hopelessness and resentment, when Bittu Bajrangi and Monu Manesar challenged the Muslims, there was a potential of tension and violence. The implications were written large and clear. The police still didn’t do much to pre-empt violence. They ignored the instigations by the Bajrangi and Manesar who are accused of violence in different cases. The response of the state ( or lack of it) is a big contributing factor to the violence that took place on July 31, 2023.

To be continued…

Related:

Lives lost in Nuh violence, a failure on the part of the Haryana police and government?

Nuh Clashes planned and coordinated, more such violence likely before 2024 Polls: Satyapal Malik

Communal violence erupts in Nuh, Mewat, five killed, provocations by VHP-Bajrang Dal continue

The post The slow but sure marginalisation of Nuh’s Meo Muslims: a report appeared first on SabrangIndia.

The detailed Letter Petition also states that

“In light of the recent events that have occurred in the Nuh region in Haryana, a deep concern has arisen due to videos that have surfaced on social media of hate speech and incitement of targeted violence, that are disrupting peace and harmony in our society.

“We, as members of the legal community and of The Delhi High Court Women Lawyers Forum, residing in Delhi and Gurgaon, have approached Your Lordship, vide this Letter Petition, to bring to your notice the fact that hate speech videos are circulating on social media which purport to have been recorded at rallies in Haryana. We humbly seek urgent and expeditious directions to the State of Haryana to prevent incidents of hate speech and to take action against those who have perpetrated it, in violation of directions repeatedly issued by the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India and to immediately track and ban these videos that amplify hate speech and create an atmosphere of fear.

“The Hon’ble Punjab and Haryana High Court, Suo Moto issued directions vide Order dated 7.8.2023 in CWP-PIL-68/2023, staying illegal demolitions by the State, and expressed concern on whether the buildings belonging to a particular community are being brought down under the guise of a law and order problem. The swift and sensitive approach of the Court has gone a long way in building confidence of citizens in the rule of law.

“The Hon’ble Supreme Court, recently on 11.08.2023 in Shaheen Abdullah vs. Union of India observed that there has to be harmony and comity between the communities and that the calls to boycott the Muslim community after the recent communal violence at Nuh was “unacceptable”. This Court has accordingly mooted the idea of the DGP to constitute a committee to verify all material and issue directions to the concerned officer and that the Police needs to be sensitized.

“The Hon’ble Supreme Court,recently on 11.08.2023 in Shaheen Abdullah vs. Union of India observed that there has to be harmony and comity between the communities and that the calls to boycott the Muslim community after the recent communal violence at Nuh was “unacceptable”. This Court has accordingly mooted the idea of the DGP to constitute a committee to verify all material and issue directions to the concerned officer and that the Police needs to be sensitized.

“In Tehseen S. Poonawalla V. Unionof India and Others (2018) 9 SCC 501, this Court has recorded that mob vigilantism and mob violence have to be prevented by the governments by taking strict action. That rising intolerance and growing polarisation expressed through incidents of mob violence cannot be permitted to become the normal way of life or the normal state of law and order in the country. The State has a sacrosanct duty to protect its people from unruly elements and perpetrators of vigilantism, with utmost sincerity.

“Specific guidelines have been issued with regard to both the Central Government and the State Government. They include having police-patrolling in sensitive areas so that anti-social elements involved in crimes related to mob­ violence against any caste or community remain within the boundaries of law and indeed,fear taking the law into their own hands.

“The State and Centre are required to broadcast on radio, TV and other media as well as their official platforms, that such violence shall invite serious consequences. They are also required to curb AND stop dissemination of information of irresponsible and explosive messages, videos and other material that may have a tendency to incite mob violence of any kind. The police is required to register FIRs (First Information Reports) against persons who disseminate such messages, videos and other material. Nodal officers are required to be designated for information and action. Such cases require to be fast-tracked, and preferably concluded within 6 months. Compensation where required, is to be granted within 30 days. Failure of the district administration must be seen as an act of deliberate negligence.

“The Supreme Court has concluded the above judgment by emphatically noting that it is the duty of the State to ensure that the machinery of law and order functions effectively and efficiently to maintain peace, and to preserve our quintessentially secular ethos and pluralistic social fabric in a democratic set­ up, governed by the rule of law.

“The Supreme Court has issued further directives in October 2022 and April 2023 mandating immediate suo moto action to register First Information Reports in cases involving hate-speech offences even if no complaint is forthcoming and to proceed against the offenders in accordance with law. The order made it clear that such action will be taken irrespective of the religion of the maker of the speech or the person who commits such acts, so that the secular character of the Bharat as envisaged by the Preamble, is preserved and protected.

“Despite such repeated guidelines and directions, the unprecedented incidents of hate speech in Nuh and other districts, reveal a comprehensive failure on the part of the State Administration and Police to implement preventive measures, as well as, to have appropriate responsive measures during, and after, these incidents of hate speech. Unchecked hate speech in rallies and speeches not only carry the risk of inciting violence but also, foster and spread an environment and culture of communal fear, harassment, and discrimination.

“The concern is magnified by the fact that the videos circulating on social media show individuals carrying arms in processions and chanting communal slogans in contravention of the Constitution, the Arms Act and the law laid down by Supreme Court through its rulings. Yet, there doesn’t seem to be any verification of these videos, and action against persons indulging in such acts. This is a dangerous threat to social harmony and the rule of law in India. If allowed unchecked, it might be impossible to control this growing trend of hate and violence.

“As women, as mothers and as officers of the Court, we feel a strong commitment to communal harmony, rule of law and with this sense of responsibility we have approached your Lordship for the following directions to the State Government: to promote an environment of dignity and liberty for citizens of all religions in the State of Haryana and fraternity between communities by announcing programmes that highlight inclusion and awards for acts of communal harmony; to take steps in accordance with the directions of the Hon’ble Supreme Court to prevent incidents of hate speech; to track and ban videos that threaten harm to any community/ places of worship or urge economic boycott of any community; to take immediate action against persons found responsible for committing acts of hate speech.

The list of signatories are below:

Delhi High Court Women Lawyers Forum (The List of Signatories is provided below)

1. Miriam Fozia Rahman
2. Kirti Singh
3. Malavika Rajkotia
4. Nandita Rao
5. Jhum Jhum Sarkar
6. Zeba Khair
7. Neha Rastogi
8. Mahjabeen
9. Amrita Sharma
10. Shefali Sewak
11. Ruchi Singh
12. Abiha Zaidi
13. Ashima Obhan
14. Iti Pandey
15. Sangeeta Bharti
16. Swaty S. Malik
17. Soni Singh
18. Sunita Dutt
19. Tara Narula
20. Shalini Nair
21. Kajal Chandra
22. Anjesh Dahiya
23. Monika Tyagi
24. Anjali Sharma
25. Radhalakshmi R.
26. Sydrah Sarfaraz
27. Geeta Luthra
28. Suruchi Suri
29. Swathi Sukumar
30. Tarannum Cheema
31. Indira Unninayar
32. Pooja Dodd
33. Shivambika Sinha
34. Sanhita D Sensarma
35. Nusrat Hussain
36. Latika Malhotra
37. Manali Singhal
38. Naomi Chandra
39. Sonia Singhani
40. Vidhi Gupta
41. Ritu Bhalla
42. Chetna Bhalla
43. Meera Chature Sankhari
44. Bijoylashmi Das
45. Pooja Saigal
46. Meghna Mital Sankhla
47. Meenal Duggal
48. Sonal Sarda
49. Renu Gupta
50. Yashna Malik
51. Anu Bagai
52. Rubal Bansal Maini
53. Shweta Kapoor
54. Surbhi Arora
55. Saumya Tandon
56. Ishani Chandra
57. Nitika Khaitan
58. Rohini Vijh
59. Seema Misra
60. Nimita Kaul
61. Jagriti Ahuja
62. Anita Abraham
63. Vidhi Jain
64. Gayatri Virmani
65. Rekha saroha
66. Mani Gupta
67. Aishwarya Nabh
68. Rana Parween Siddiqui
69. Shobhana Takiar
70. Sumita kapil
71. Aishwarya Rao
72. Gayatri Verma
73. Beena Panday
74. Kanika Singh
75. Purnima Malik
76. Gunjan Bansal
77. Ritambhra Kalra
78. Radhika Kolluru
79. Haripriya Padmanabhan
80. Surbhi Mehta
81. Anubha Rastogi
82. Karuna Krishan Thareja
83. Chand Chopra
84. Garima Sachdeva
85. Nidhi Mohan Parashar
86. Arundhati Katju
87. Nandita Chauhan
88. Gauri Puri
89. U Deepaprabha
90. Shivani Nair
91. Vishakha Gupta
92. Shreya Singhal
93. Prachi Vashisht
94. Priya Pathania
95. Pusshp Gupta
96. Ananya Roy
97. Noorun Nahar Firdausi
98. Rachita Garg
99. RooheHina Dua
100. Harshita Singhal
101. Suruchi Jaiswal

Related:

‘Ethnic cleansing by State?’ HC stops Haryana’s Nuh & Gurugram demolitions

Nuh Haryana: Who cast the first stone?

Bail not Jail for Bajrang Dal man, Bittu who posted a provocative video on day of Nuh clash

The post Delhi HC Women Lawyer’s Forum petitions CJI against calls for socio-economic boycott of Muslims at Nuh, Haryana appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Founded by a man named Raghvendra Pratap Singh and Akash Mishra in March 2017 according to LinkedIn, Rajdharma operates out of New Delhi and, according to information sourced from the Ministry of Corporate Affairs filing, is registered as Rajdharma Media LLP. The company’s primary focus seems to be producing digital media content, with a pronounced emphasis on news and current affairs. Their reported employee count is of 2-10 individuals.

Rajdharma has witnessed an unprecedented surge in popularity over the past eight months, with its subscriber count skyrocketing from 19.2 lakh to a staggering 2.9 million. This meteoric rise in viewership has left many intrigued, prompting a closer examination of the channel’s content and affiliations. The rapid rise of ‘Rajdharma’ on YouTube has piqued interest, prompting scrutiny of its content, contributors, and affiliations. The channel’s tendency to showcase interviews and reports that seem to lean towards a particular ideological stance raises concerns around the nature of media and content it produces, and it’s wilful tag of being a proponent of journalistic integrity.

Central to the channel’s content is Archana Tiwari, a self-proclaimed “journalist”, identified as an anchor at Rajdharma. Her association with the channel seems to be instrumental in shaping its narrative and vice versa. Tiwari’s recent viral video interview featuring an elderly Muslim man from Nuh has sparked controversy due to her aggressive line of questioning and perceived insinuations of criminality. In the interview, she appears to suggest that the Muslim community is responsible for acts of violence and tries to implicate the elderly man in these alleged incidents. The video drew attention due to her persistent questioning even when the man stated he was unwell and had no idea about what she was talking about.

Tiwari’s Twitter activity also caught attention. Although her account dates back to 2016, the majority of her tweets appear to be from August 2023, showcasing congratulatory messages from right-wing and BJP supporters.

राम जन्मभूमि मंदिर द्वितीय तल के निर्माण का कार्य भी तेजी से चल रहा है। श्री राम जन्मभूमि मंदिर के द्वितीय तल के निर्माण की खूबसूरत और विहंगम तस्वीरें आप देख सकते हैं।

भगवान श्री राम की मूर्ति 15 जनवरी से 24 जनवरी 2024 के बीच उपयुक्‍त तिथि को स्‍थापित की जाएगी l#जयश्रीराम pic.twitter.com/BdFoIP0Tlr

— Archana Tiwari (@ArchanaaTiwari) July 21, 2023

The affiliations of other ‘Rajdharma’ employees further raise further questions about the channel’s credibility. Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, a self-claimed “reporter and anchor”, and Ashwini Choubey, labelled as a ‘Content Writer,’ at Rajdharma.

A quintessential example of ‘Rajdharma’s’ political inclinations can be seen in an interview conducted by Tiwari with Ajay Bisht aka Yogi Adityanath, the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, in 2022. The interview merely a ten minute chat and is notably flamboyant and easy going in its questioning and avoids any critical inquiries, focusing instead on praising the political leadership and policies in place in the state of Uttar Pradesh (UP).

The programme “Sirf teen sawalon yeh CM Yogi ka interview” or “CM Yogi’s interview only in three questions,” for instance. The style, formatting and the dialogues can even fulfil all the pre-requisite of a scripted advertisement; the resemblance is uncanny. The first question, for instance, is the manner in which Tiwari asks just how has the CM made UP so safe for woman, as opposed to the atmosphere of fear they lived in 6 years earlier to which the CM replies with a smile asserting the “necessity for women’s safety”. There is no mention of gruesome incidents of rape and violence Dalits and Muslim women in the state, nor even of the stark case of Hathras, where a Dalit girl was brutally raped and left for dead, which shook the country in September 2020. As of today August 17^th 2023, this video has almost a million views.

Yogi Adityanath has been featured in quite a few videos by Rajdharma. According to the Caravan Magazine, it was the minister’s PR agency that arranged for the video segments with YouTube content creators like Rajdharma and others.

The views on the YouTube channel range from 20,000 to 2 million. What is noteworthy is this particularly genre of videos the YouTube Channel produces in which working class, often elderly, Muslims are captured on camera as the Youtuber, often Archana Tiwari, aggressively asks hostile and provocative questions. The channel then twists the answers of the interviewees, no matter how harmless they may be, into a sensationalist headline.

For instance, one YouTube video featured an old Muslim man who is asked of the demolitions in going on in Nuh. He replies that these constitute a harrowing attack on Muslims. Tiwari goes on to repeatedly ask him if he is afraid of Yogi Adityanath, even though he is the CM of another state. The man states in the affirmative. Tiwari pounces on to that, in a triumphalist vein, and goes on to repeat the man’s fear-filled reply with much glee and aplomb, seemingly marvelling at how the fear of this chief minister pervades populations (Muslim) in other states as well. This can hardly qualify as journalism or reporting.

Furthermore, this video has about 2 million views. One of the highest viewer counts on the channel. Higher even than the current view count of the Yogi Adityanath interviews, which stands at a modest 9.3 lakh in comparison.  In fact, this pattern exists for most of the videos which show Muslims being humiliated or aggressively accused by the YouTube present on the field.

Amongst these interviews, the channel also features content on topics such as the building of the Ram Mandir at Ayodhya. Several videos ranging in topics which include headlines on Rahul Gandhi, Asaduddin Owaisi. Headlines such as “Bhumi Pujan ko sunkar aap ki aankhein bhar aayengi” (Your eyes will well up with tears once you listen to this Bhumi Pujan), feature in the channel, which additionally also has an entire series of videos dedicated to the Sushant Singh Rajput controversy, titled “Justice for Sushant Singh Rajput”.

The Sushant Singh Rajput controversy occurred when the actor reportedly killed himself in June 2020, at which time the right wing engaged in a massive online campaign asserting that his death was a “conspiracy”. Available video and text content on this YouTube channel really itself makes the argument that this YouTube channel is the part of an industry that engaged in content creation that markets “news as entertainment”. However the content orientation is being increasingly consumed as a substitute for journalism and reportage which marks a concerning challenge for the future of journalism in India as the government increases curbs on the freedom of an autonomous and independent media, while allowing with impunity, hate content of this kind, across mediums.

Related:

Distorting facts about Muslim population growth at the Digital Hindu Conclave

Hate Hatao: CJP’s Campaign Against Division and Discrimination

No, India is not home to crores of illegal immigrants, ‘Bangladeshis’ or otherwise

Growing calls for social and economic boycott of Muslims surfacing on social media, plea in the Supreme Court

The post Woman seen heckling old Muslim man not “reporter” but part of right-wing ecosystem of hate appeared first on SabrangIndia.

In a powerful display of solidarity, nearly 2,000 farmers from diverse backgrounds convened at a Mahapanchayat organised by the Bhartiya Kisan Mazdoor Union in Baas village, Hisar, according to a report by Scroll.in. The gathering was attended by members of the Hindu, Muslim, and Sikh communities and carried a clear message: division along caste and religious lines has no place in Haryana.

Prominent farmer leader Suresh Koth spoke at the event of the importance of unity and peace, declaring, “Here are Muslims, I dare you to touch them.” He urged all khaps, the traditional social councils, to take responsibility for safeguarding the minority residents and fostering harmony, reported Scroll.in.

Koth’s stance echoed throughout the event, resonating with his sentiment that Haryana’s soil must remain untainted by divisions. He criticised certain panchayat leaders from Mahendergarh, Rewari, and Jhajjar districts for reportedly drafting letters that restricted the entry of Muslim traders into villages. Such actions, he stated, have no place in the spirit of coexistence and tolerance.

One of the assembly’s main objectives was a commitment by the farmers to shun any form of caste-based or communal violence. The gathering united in demanding accountability for those responsible for uploading incendiary videos on social media platforms, which provoked tensions.

In a video on Twitter, Koth reaffirmed the message of unity, “Yeh Desh Sabka tha, Yeh Desh Sabka hai, yeh Desh Sabka rahega” (This country belonged to everyone, belongs to everyone, and will continue to belong to everyone). The call resonated widely in the wake of harrowing violence in Haryana, spreading through a video that emerged on Twitter on August 9th.

किसान नेता सुरेश कौथ की RSS और बजरंग दल को चेतावनी, कहा “हम मेवातियों के साथ हैं हिम्मत है तो आओ”#NuhViolence #uchana #jind #sureshkouth pic.twitter.com/p4pJJUi7Gs

— Gaon Savera (@GaonSavera) August 9, 2023

The Mahapanchayat’s resolute stand serves as a powerful reminder that unity transcends boundaries and that the people of Haryana stand united against division.

Related:

Azizia Madrasa: Burning of just a Madrasa or Cultural Genocide?

Haryana: Resolutions banning entry of Muslims traders withdrawn after authorities send show-cause notice

Nuh Haryana: Who cast the first stone?

Communal violence erupts in Nuh, Mewat, five killed, provocations by VHP-Bajrang Dal continue

The post Haryana’s farmers’ Mahapanchayat: Fostering unity across communities, vowing for communal harmony appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Does a man have right to put his wife on a bet? Shouldn’t he seek her consent before betting her? These questions had little meaning then; as both the law and the religion dictated that the Kauravas had every right to deal with Draupadi, whom they had won in the gamble. Attempt to protect Draupadi, hence was ‘Adharm’. The Kauravas could have humiliated Draupadi in loneliness but they had decided to drag her by holding her hair in full view of the assembly and disrobed her.

This story has been taught to all children to highlight the fact that Shri Krishna, with his miracle, lengthened the Saree so much that the Kauravas failed to disrobe Draupadi. It is never emphasized how mean, both the groups of men, the Kauravas and the Pandavas were.

It is but natural that women from both the Kauravas and Pandavas clans were present when this demeaning act happened. However, we have never heard about either the presence of women there or how they reacted to this episode. Thereafter the unequal and slave-like status of women was codified in the ‘Manu Smruti’. In Indian history, this became the glaring example of Uniform Civil Code for all women, irrespective of their caste status, that they were merely the slaves of men. To humiliate women, to batter women and to outrage modesty of women became privilege of men.

In modern and Independent India, the bearer of ‘Draupadi’ name is our most respected and honorable President of India. In the eyes of public her glorified appointment as the ‘First Tribal Woman President of India’ is a political move keeping in mind the general elections of 2024 to capture the Tribal vote.

Draupadi Murmu hails from Odisha and previously held the position of Governor of Jharkhand, the State with dominant tribal population, not a partner of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). Though she is the first citizen of India and the Constitutional head, she was neither invited on the inaugural occasion of the new Parliament Building, nor her message was sought for to grace the occasion.

Though as the head of all the Armed forces of India, the President failed to enter the Sanctum Sanctorum of a temple in the capital. However, her image of sweeping the floor of a temple is popularized.

‘Draupadi’ of the past history was fortunate to have no other than Lord Sri Krishna by her side to protect her modesty. Today, in the State of Manipur, when three tribal women were forced to strip and paraded naked on the roads in the day light and in the public gaze by a frenzy mob who continued to molest them too before gang raping the youngest woman in an open field, there was no Lord Krishna, no the Prime Minister of India and not even the National Commission of Women was present there to help them.

Unfortunately, we did not hear a voice of protest from our honorable President of India too.
The mob had killed the father and brother of a woman who attempted to protect the woman. To add to the indignity of the nation, reportedly the police was helpless, mute spectator when the crowd took away the three women from their custody.

How has the situation of women changed between the era of historic ‘Draupadi’ and the ‘Draupadi’ of democratic nation governed by the law? Has the sexual violence on the women decreased irrespective of the best and multiple legislations?

Draupadi of  historic past was fortunate to have Lord Krishna to protect her modesty. Manipur women had none protect them

The segregated data on the atrocities on both the Dalits and the tribals in India have been available only from 1974 and 1989. As per reports between 1974 and 2021 a total of 58,606 incidents of rape on Dalit women have been registered, whereas between 1989 and 2021, a total of 21,318 incidents of rape have been registered on tribal women.
This is an incomplete picture, as in the initial years, not all the states reported such crimes; besides, during the two years period the Government did not publish such segregated data, and not all the rape cases are reported to the police.

In the backdrop of the most popularised term ‘development’ since 2014, a natural question follows: Would the incidents of sexual violence in the presence of development increase or decrease? India has reported a total of 31,967 incidents of rape on Dalit and tribal women between 2014 and 2021 in a period of only eight years under the rule of NDA, which amounts for 40 percent of the total cases as reported above in past 46 years.
Do we hear even a little protest in the country against the increasing sexual violence on Dalit and Tribal women compared to the mammoth protests against reservation?

The incident of Manipur is the height of barbarity. To protest this inhuman condition programme is being organized on 10th August 2023 in Gujarat with the following details. Name of the programme is द्रौपदी से द्रौपदी तक (From Draupadi to Draupadi).

Under this program, a women led convention will be held on 10th August 2023 at 11 AM at the Dalit Shakti Kendra, situated near Sanand town in Ahmedabad district. A saree will be displayed on the occasion in which the precarious condition of Dalit and tribal will be displayed through images and figures.

This saree will be sent to the President of India, three women governors of India, the chairperson of National Commission of women, women leaders of national political parties, the most vocal women journalists highlighting the conditions of women, women artists and sports persons who too have voiced their concerns with a request to wear this saree on the occasion of flag hoisting on 15th August 2023 on the occasion of 76th Independence Day of India.

After the convention, the participants will reach Nehru Bridge, Ahmedabad, and hold a peaceful demonstration for 30 minutes. At the end of the programme, a delegation will reach the Ahmedabad General Post Office and post the sarees to the listed women leaders.
All the people who condemn the incident of Manipur and the increasing sexual violence on Dalit and Tribal women are invited to join and participate the programme.

*Founder, Dalit Shakti Kendra

Courtesy: Counterview

The post Has situation of women changed from historic Draupadi to Draupadi of democratic India? appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Bulldozers were halted in Nuh on Monday on what would have been the fifth day of demolition of properties with alleged links to rioters after the Punjab & Haryana high court took suo motu cognisance of newspaper reports and stepped in.

A division bench of justices G S Sandhawalia and Harpreet Kaur Jeewan observed that clearly, without any demolition orders and notices, the law-and-order problem was being used as a ruse to bring down buildings without following due process of law.

“The issue also arises whether the buildings belonging to a particular community are being brought down under the guise of law-and-order problem and an exercise of ethnic cleansing is being conducted by state. We are of the considered opinion that the Constitution of India protects the citizens of this country and no demolition as such can be done without following the procedure prescribed in law,” Justice Sandhawalia observed.

The court restrained the Haryana government from carrying out any such demolition drive if procedure is not followed as per the law. In the demolition drives that began in Nuh last Thursday as the government began a crackdown on those allegedly involved in the July 31 communal clashes when a mob targeted a religious yatra, Nuh administration sources said about 350 structures have been razed so far.

Taking strong exception to statements made by state home minister Anil Vij that bulldozers were part of the “ilaaj (treatment)” since the government was probing communal violence, the high court quoted British historian Lord Acton and observed, “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

Referring to the media reports on bulldozer drives in Nuh, the court said, “The action is stated to be on account of the fact that the individuals involved in the anti-social activities had made illegal constructions. The said news item would go on to show that buildings next to the hospital in the form of commercial buildings, residential buildings, restaurants which were in existence for a long time have been brought down by bulldozers.”

Issuing a notice to the Haryana government, the bench directed the authorities to furnish an affidavit as to how many buildings have been demolished in the last two weeks, both in Nuh and Gurgaon, and whether any notice was issued before the demolitions. It scheduled the next hearing on August 11 and also appointed advocate Kshitij Sharma as amicus curiae to assist the court on the issue.

Meanwhile, Nuh deputy commissioner Dhirendra Khadgata told TOI the demolition has been stopped after the court order. “The court has asked whether due process has been followed for demolition and directed the government to file a reply by August 11. We have followed the due process and will file our reply accordingly,” he said.

Excerpts from Punjab & Haryana High Court Order:

Referring to news published in the Indian Express and Times of India, the Order says:

“The news item also says that the Home Minister himself has said that bulldozer are part of illaj (treatment) since the Government is probing communal violence. The said news items are appending alongwith the file for ready reference. Lord Acton has stated “power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely”.

“It is in such circumstances, we are constrained to issue notice to State as it has come to our notice that the State of Haryana is using force and is demolishing buildings on account of the fact that some riots have occurred

“Apparently, without any demolition orders and notices, the law and order problem is being used as a ruse to bring down buildings without following the procedure established by law. The issue also arises whether the buildings belonging to a particular community are being brought down under the guise of law and order problem and an exercise of ethnic cleansing is being conducted by the State.

“We are of the considered opinion that the Constitution of India protects the citizens of this country and no demolitions as such can be done without following the procedure prescribed in law. Accordingly, we issue directions to the State of Haryana to furnish an affidavit as to how many buildings have been demolished in last two weeks, both in Nuh and Gurugram and whether any notice was issued before demolition.

“If any such demolition is to be carried out today, it should be stopped if the procedure is not followed as per law. To come up on 11.08.2023.”

Background:

What started in Uttar Pradesh a few years back has now spread to the state of Haryana, where communal flare-ups are being followed by demolition drives against “encroachers” and “rioters”. After a “clash” was reported to have taken place in Nuh, Haryana on July 31 during the annual religious procession taken out by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad- Bajrang Dal, the Haryana government has resorted to bulldozing houses. As per a report in the Telegraph, the Bharatiya Janata Party government in Haryana has bulldozed around 250 shanties of “illegal” immigrants from Bangladesh in the Muslim-dominated Nuh district. The police has provided that majority of bulldozed houses belonged to people booked as accused in the recent communal violence. As per a report in the Economic Times, the Haryana Urban Development Authority have been carrying out the demolitions.

On August 5, several establishments in Tauru, about 20 km from violence-hit Nuh, were also razed down by bulldozers. As reported by India Today, the authorities have again confirmed that residents of these “illegal” establishments were those who were “allegedly” involved in the riots that took place on July 31. Structures and shanties near Nuh’s SKM Government Medical College have also been demolished.

In addition to this, the authorities have also bulldozed five houses on the way to Nalhar temple, as per the Economic Times. As provided by the police, 14 youths from this community were engaged in pelting stones.

As per the India Today report, Nuh’s SDM Ashwini Kumar provided that the demolition drives are taking place on the orders of Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar. “This is on the orders of the CM. All of this is illegal construction. These people were involved in the riots,” Kumar stated.

Related:

Encroachment or rioting, what was the offence of the ones whose houses were bulldozed in Haryana?

Sikhs helped trapped Muslim women and children escape mob violence

Lives lost in Nuh violence, a failure on the part of the Haryana police and government?

CJP petitions NCM and DGP, Haryana as anti-minority violence spreads takes grip in the state

Nuh Haryana: Who cast the first stone?

Communal violence erupts in Nuh, Mewat, five killed, provocations by VHP-Bajrang Dal continue

Nuh Clashes planned and coordinated, more such violence likely before 2024 Polls: Satyapal Malik

Union MOS Home questions arms allowed in ‘religious’ procession at Nuh, Haryana: Rao Inderjit Singh

The post ‘Ethnic cleansing by State?’ HC stops Haryana’s Nuh & Gurugram demolitions appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Faridabad police sources however told The Times of India that Bittu (45), however, remained “under house arrest” with a team from the crime deployed at his residence.
The FIR is the latest in a long list of cases filed against Bittu in a month – 4 in Dabua, Mujesar and Saran police stations of Faridabad for controversial statements and social media posts, according to police sources. He has obtained bail in all of them.

The July 31 Facebook video, in which he is heard saying “phool mala taiyyar rakho (keep flowers and garlands ready)” and “tumhara jija aa raha hai (your brother-in-law is coming)” was, in a communally charged atmosphere, perceived as a dare and a reference to cow vigilante leader Mohit Yadav alias Monu Manesar.

All these hate posts that flowed online from members of two communities largely centred around the speculated presence of Monu at the religious yatra in Nuh. Bittu’s video was uploaded around an hour before the yatra on Monday and was widely circulated.

The day before, on July 30, Monu had also posted a video on his Instagram account, urging people to join the religious yatra in Nuh. Monu is one of the accused in the murder case registered in Rajasthan after the bodies of two men, Nasir and Junaid, were found inside a burnt Bolero in Bhiwani in February this year.

According to police sources, 22 FIRs for alleged hate speeches have been registered in Gurgaon, Nuh and Faridabad since the July 31 clashes. TOI had reported on three of these FIRs on Friday that have been filed against Shahid, Aadil Khan Mannaka alias Birjubhai and a Facebook page called ‘Shayar Guru Ghantal’. Another FIR was registered on Friday against Faridabad resident Sajid Qassar and two others for a video. The complaint was filed by a resident of Jawahar Colony who said he got the Facebook clip as a WhatsApp forward.

A Faridabad police spokesperson Sube Singh told TOI the FIR against Bittu was filed at Dabua police station on August 1 on the basis of a complaint by a cop under IPC section 295A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious belief).

In the complaint, sub-inspector Satish Kumar said Bittu and others were “inciting religious animosity” and made statements “to hurt religious sentiments” of a community.
“He was arrested for questioning and at present he is ‘nazar band’. He has been asked not to leave the city while the investigation is under way,” the police spokesperson said.
A senior police officer said Bittu was granted bail because the offence has a jail term of less than seven years.

The 45-year-old, a bachelor, is involved in wholesale trading of vegetables at the Faridabad mandi and rents carts to vendors there. On his social media account, Bittu claims to run a ‘Bajrang Force’ that works for “cow protection”. He has earlier posted photos with Monu Manesar as well.

Speaking to TOI over a phone call on Friday, august 4, Bittu reportedly said that he posted the video on Facebook at 11.30am and had reached a temple in Nuh around 12.30pm on July 31. “How is it possible that in less than an hour of my video, thousands of people armed with deadly weapons assembled in Nuh and started rioting?” he asked, referring to the mob that attacked the yatra in Nuh.

He said his statements in the video were “answers” to clips on social media that threatened to teach him a lesson. “Many objectionable videos were uploaded from Nuh, but no one is talking about them,” he claimed.

Related:

CJP petitions NCM and DGP, Haryana as anti-minority violence spreads takes grip in the state

Lives lost in Nuh violence, a failure on the part of the Haryana police and government?

Nuh Haryana: Who cast the first stone?

Communal violence erupts in Nuh, Mewat, five killed, provocations by VHP-Bajrang Dal continue

Nuh Clashes planned and coordinated, more such violence likely before 2024 Polls: Satyapal Malik

Union MOS Home questions arms allowed in ‘religious’ procession at Nuh, Haryana: Rao Inderjit Singh

The post Bail not Jail for Bajrang Dal man, Bittu who posted a provocative video on day of Nuh clash appeared first on SabrangIndia.

On August 5, several establishments in Tauru, about 20 km from violence-hit Nuh, were also razed down by bulldozers. As reported by India Today, the authorities have again confirmed that residents of these “illegal” establishments were those who were “allegedly” involved in the riots that took place on July 31. Structures and shanties near Nuh’s SKM Government Medical College have also been demolished. 

In addition to this, the authorities have also bulldozed five houses on the way to Nalhar temple, as per the Economic Times. As provided by the police, 14 youths from this community were engaged in pelting stones. 

As per the India Today report, Nuh’s SDM Ashwini Kumar provided that the demolition drives are taking place on the orders of Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar. “This is on the orders of the CM. All of this is illegal construction. These people were involved in the riots,” Kumar stated.

It is essential to note that no official statement has been issued by the Nuh administration regarding the bulldozer operation. Reportedly, about 40 shops in the Nuh area will also be demolished in the demolition drive as they are “illegal”, as per official reports in India Today. The shops are present at the same location where vehicles were burnt and stone pelting had taken place.

State government’s stance: “Even bulldozers have been employed as a measure for resolution.” 

On August 4, Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij stat that all those who have been implicated to have a role in the clashes will suffer the consequences, as per the Economic Times. Vij provided that 202 people have been arrested so far and 80 taken into preventive detention in connection with the communal clashes in Nuh. Earlier, Vij had stated that Nuh was becoming a new Jamtara, a district in Jharkhand, known for being the India’s cyber-crime hub. He further hinted at a crackdown on cyber-crimes stemming from the area by Haryana authorities, as provided by the India Today. 

Statement of the officials at the demolition site

Contrasting statements were provided by officials present at the scene, who stated that the land occupied by illegal encroachments was under clearance and they did not draw any parallel between the demolition drive and the recently held communal tensions in the area, as per India Today. It has also been reported by the Economic Times that the pretext for the demolition drive was the encroachment of land owned by the Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP).

“These 250 shanties came up as illegal encroachments four years ago and were inhabited by illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. These people were earlier living in Assam before they settled here and set up shanties on Haryana Urban Authority land,” said a police officer.

As reported by Economic Times, police officials provided that the the demolition drive in the Nalhar demolition took place as the land belonged to the forest department.

“The residents have been served notices earlier, but they did not respond. We also came to know that some stone-pelters used this house as their hideouts and pelted stones from here on the worshippers,” said Nuh police spokesperson Krishan Kumar. 

Related:

Sikhs helped trapped Muslim women and children escape mob violence

Lives lost in Nuh violence, a failure on the part of the Haryana police and government?

CJP petitions NCM and DGP, Haryana as anti-minority violence spreads takes grip in the state

Nuh Haryana: Who cast the first stone?

Communal violence erupts in Nuh, Mewat, five killed, provocations by VHP-Bajrang Dal continue

Nuh Clashes planned and coordinated, more such violence likely before 2024 Polls: Satyapal Malik

Union MOS Home questions arms allowed in ‘religious’ procession at Nuh, Haryana: Rao Inderjit Singh

The post Encroachment or rioting, what was the offence of the ones whose houses were bulldozed in Haryana? appeared first on SabrangIndia.

As per a report in the Indian Express following communal clashes on August 1 in Nuh, Gurgaon, and other parts of Haryana, the Shahi Masjid in Sohna was vandalised by a mob comprising 70-100 men. Fortunately, the mosque’s Imam, his family, and a group of 10-12 children studying at the madrasa inside managed to escape unharmed. This was made possible by the timely intervention of members of the Sikh community, who conducted a rescue operation amidst the ongoing clashes, according to local witnesses.

The mosque, not only serves as a place of worship but also houses rooms for a few families and classrooms for children.

During the turmoil, the Imam, along with 30 others, including children, sought refuge in the residential quarters within the mosque premises. With the situation becoming increasingly dire, the Imam instructed his brother to escort the women and children to safety behind the mosque. However, the situation took a positive turn when the locals stepped in to help, arriving just in time to assist the vulnerable group.

As per the Indian Express report, one of the locals who played a crucial role in the rescue was Guddu Singh (25), a student from Palwal. Responding to panic calls from residents near the Sohna mosque, Guddu and his fellow locals decided to take action despite the limited presence of only 10-12 policemen against a gathering of hundreds outside the mosque. As the mob continued to wreak havoc inside the mosque, the brave locals turned their attention to the adjacent residential quarters. Their first priority was rescuing the women and children, successfully ensuring their safety.

The #Hindutva mob also attacked the #Sohna Jama Masjid. After the #Hindu mob ran away, many members of the #Sikh community came to help. They arranged buses for the women and children to leave the place. pic.twitter.com/KIKOI5MgfO

— Hate Detector (@HateDetectors) August 1, 2023

This incident highlights the importance of unity and solidarity in times of crisis, as members of the Sikh community risked their safety to protect their fellow citizens from harm.

An FIR has been registered against unknown persons, reported the Indian Express.

On the morning of August 1, a mosque in Gurgaon’s Sector 57 was also targeted in a violent attack. A large armed mob fired upon and set the mosque on fire around 12:30 am. The chief imam, who was not present at the time, had gone to his village. However, the deputy imam, a 19-year-old, who led prayers in his absence, was brutally assaulted. He suffered 13 sword wounds and had his throat slit, resulting in his death. Another individual on the premises was severely beaten and shot in the knee and is currently in an ICU.

The incidents have already claimed six precious lives and caused a staggering economic loss. The scars of bigotry inflicted are far from easily forgotten.

These stories of everyday love and harmony are not isolated incidents. The Sikh community has had a history of coming to the aid of people in need. Feeding the poor is synonymous with the Sikh Community. However it doesn’t just stop there. In February this year amidst hate-crimes and religious intolerance filling up our timelines a heartwarming video from Indore shows a Muslim woman offering Namaz in a Gurudwara, highlighting co-existence and acceptance in our diverse country. During the anti-CAA protests in Shaheen Bagh, Sikhs and Muslims prepared langar together. There were videos of Sikh and Muslim men exchanging their headdresses and clicking selfies together. Even after the 2019 Pulwama attack the Sikh community from Punjab stepped in and rescued and sheltered many Kashmiri students there who started receiving threats after the attack. These stories of brotherhood and love for fellow countryman restores our faith in humanity.

Related:

Viral video shows slain Gurugram Imam’s heartfelt prayers for religious harmony

Maharashtra celebrated Shahu Maharaj’s message of social justice, harmony: Kolhapur, Pimpri-Chinchwad

‘Insaniyat’: brave Hindu landlord defends Muslim shop owners and workers, show of harmony in the midst of division

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