While observing that there was provocation from both sides resulting in the communal violence that erupted in Nuh on Monday, Gurgaon MP and Union Minister of State (Independent charge) Rao Inderjit Singh said it was not right for participants in a religious yatra to be carrying swords and sticks, reported Indian Express.
“Kisne hathiyar diye unko is procession mein le jaane ke liye? Koi talwar leke jata hai procession mein? Lathi-dande leke jata hai (Who gave weapons to them for the procession? Who goes to a procession carrying swords, or sticks)? This is wrong. A provocation took place from this side too. I am not saying there was no provocation from the other side,” Singh said, speaking to the newspaper. He also attributed a small altercation between young children, “who started pelting stones at each other”, as “the spark” that lit the fire.
Singh said he approached Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and the Union Home Ministry to send Central forces to Nuh after realising that the police force was “insufficient”.
Condemning hate on social media, the Union minister added that social media posts are leading to “negative thinking” among people. “I have asked the police to probe who uploaded such videos. Someone said there were videos saying, ‘We are coming for this religious function, your daamad (son-in-law) is coming. If you can stop, stop it’. If such irresponsible videos are uploaded, it causes a negative impact.”
According to Singh, the area, which is Muslim-dominated, had not seen such an incident in “the past 75 years after Partition”. “Why did it happen now? I believe social media is responsible.”
Singh, the Union minister also deeply regretted killings in the past in the area, such as of Nasir and Junaid in 2022 (belonging to Rajasthan, they were killed by alleged cow vigilantes and their bodies dumped in Bhiwani), leaving “a persecution complex” in the minds of the minority community.
Formerly with the Congress leader, Singh has been a minister of state in the Modi government for the past nine years. His supporters are demanding that he be anointed BJP’s chief ministerial r candidate for 2024, arguing that the party never gave him his due despite his contributions to its success. In October 2021, Singh was also dropped from the BJP’s National Executive.
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Communal Tensions Surge as Radical Hindu Groups Distribute Weapons and Deliver Divisive Speeches