Nuh communal clashes: Senior official blames Haryana police for 'failure'

Communal clashes in Nuh, in which three people have died so far, seem to be a failure on the part of the Haryana Police, who knew despite clear indications that tempers were running high ahead of the Yatra that was to start on Monday, a senior official with the Central government has told News18.

Absconding for the last six months, murder-accused Monu Manesar’s video message on Sunday saying he will participate in the religious procession may have incited clashes in the area on Monday, said police sources.

Police officials say Manesar did not ultimately come for the Yatra but his message raised tempers in Nuh as locals have been for long demanding his arrest complaining how he has been available for media interviews but the police have not been able to catch him.

Some people on social media had warned Manesar not to turn up. The Rajasthan and Haryana police have been looking for him for the last six months — for the alleged murders in Rajasthan’s area. Nuh is a minority-dominated area in Haryana.

Manesar has been absconding since February after he allegedly killed two Muslim boys in the area, Junaid and Nasser, for alleged cow smuggling.

Agencies are also closely looking at a targeted attack on the Cyber Police Station by the protestors on Monday during the violence, and probing if that had any connection with the action against cybercrime and "Jamtara-type" frauds in Nuh by the police in recent months.

The "Brajmandal 84 Kos Jalabhishek Yatra" has been held in Nuh for the last three years by the VHP, Matra Shakti Durga Vahini and the Bajrang Dal and was announced in advance this time too, but tensions had gripped Nuh ahead of it on Monday.

The Yatra as scheduled was to begin around 1 pm from the Nalkeshwar Temple in Nuh’s Nalhad area where hundreds had gathered to be a part of it. The Yatra follows the route of going to the Pandavkalan Shiv temple in Firozpur Jhirka before concluding at Radha Krishan Temple in Singar village in Haryana.

However, the Yatra came under attack soon after starting from the Nalkeshwar temple with strong stone-pelting from roof-tops by the members of another community, showing the violence was pre-planned.

More than 100 vehicles were burnt and multiple people and police personnel were left injured, including two home guards who have been killed in the violence. Many people had to seek refuge in the Nalkeshwar temple after the stone-pelting began and had to be rescued later. Over 150 brand-new motorcycles were also looted from a showroom-cum-godown in the area by the protestors. Central paramilitary forces were rushed in last night to get a grip on the situation in Nuh.

An intriguing aspect of the violence was a targeted attack on the cyber police station by the protestors.

Apparently, a passenger bus was looted after the occupants were brought down from it and later the protestors tried to ram through the main gate of the cyber police station with the same. Failing to do that, the protestors then rammed into a wall of the police station and entered there, trying also to burn down the police station. Few policemen present there had to run to save their lives. Multiple police vehicles in the police station were burnt down by the protestors.

The cyber police station has been at the centre of action against cybercrimes being operated by Nuh in the last few months through scam and fraudulent calls being made to people from here to dupe them of money. Police are now probing if the attack had to do with the police action.