Days after Islamists ran riots in the Nuh (Mewat region) district of Haryana, a Muslim sarpanch and an eyewitness informed that several rioters, who indulged in violence and vandalism, came from Rajasthan and other areas.
Rafiq, the President of the Sarpanch Association of Nuh, told India Today, “There were 5-6-7 boys from my village alone (who participated in the riots).” The assertion by Rafiq is in line with reports, which suggested that Islamists came in drives to the Nuh region to carry out riots.
He conceded that the rioters came to carry out attacks and fled the scene. “They were between 18 and 25 of age. Two-three of them are involved in looting and five to seven in rioting.”
While speaking about the matter, a Nuh localite named Irfan told India Today, “7-8 pickup vans came from Rajasthan and some people came in from Rajasthan and Ferozepur Jhirkha (Haryana).”
“When they came, the fighting erupted. They (Islamist mob) crashed their vehicle into the yatra at the T-point. It was only that the fighting started,” he added.
While the role of Islamists in Nuh violence is ascertained, it is unlikely that such large-scale violence could have been orchestrated by a few rioters from Rajasthan and Ferozepur Jhirkha without the involvement of local Muslims.
It is possible that Rafiq and Imran are trying to save locals who may have been involved in the rioting. Even if their statement was aimed at saving local Muslims, it is a confirmation that Muslims unleashed violence on Hindus. This is in contravention to the attempts by the likes of Zubair, who had been trying to downplay the role of Muslims in the Nuh violence.
Violence in Nuh
On Monday (July 31), tensions gripped several parts of Haryana when stones were pelted at the Jalabhishek Shobha yatra in the Muslim-majority region of Mewat. The procession was taken out to mark the auspicious occasion of Shravan Somwar.
In several videos of the clashes, a mob charging in a hostile way at the yatris ccould be heard raising “Allahu Akbar” and indulging in riotous activities. 6 people have been killed so far.
To stop the spread of misinformation and rumours, internet services were suspended in the region. Following the violence at Nuh, VHP president, Alok Kumar issued a video statement urging the police and administration to quickly rescue the devotees stuck at several locations including Nuh temples, chowk, and near the police station. He stressed that the yatra is an annual affair and this year it was targeted in a pre-planned and organised attack.
Meanwhile, the Union government deployed 20 companies (about 2000 personnel) of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) to bring the law and order situation under control. It is worth noting that Haryana’s Mewat has been under the spotlight for the last few years for the increase in terror activities, cow smuggling, and forced conversions.
