On 13th August, The Caravan magazine published a ground report on Nuh violence. Titled “Nuh villages live in fear after nocturnal raids and mass arrests of Muslim youth”, authored by Caravan’s journalist Prabhjit Singh, the report talked about the reason for the violence, which erupted in Haryana’s Mewat during Jalabhishek Yatra last month.
Predictably though, the leftist propaganda rag that had analysed the castes of martyred CRPF soldiers in the Pulwama attack, chiefly chalked up the blame of the Nuh violence to Hindus.
Singh, who appeared to have gone to Nuh and nearby areas to understand the aftermath of the violence orchestrated by the Islamists, tried his best to paint the Muslim community as victims. He went there on 2nd August, two days after the attack on Brijmandal Jalabhishek Yatra, a Hindu procession organised by Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP). Singh claimed that the village in Nuh was “emptied of men” as Police picked them as suspects of the violence against Hindus. In fact, they quoted a “collective” of activists called Janhastakshep that accused the police of filing FIRs against only Muslims.
The report extensively talked about how Muslims were picked from their homes without informing them about the reasons, while no Hindus, except a Hindu leader, were arrested. Among the 220 arrests made by the police in relation to 57 FIRs, the majority were Muslims. It is funny and sad at the same time that Caravan expected police to file FIRs against innocent Hindus who were attacked by the rioters just for monkey balancing. It does not work like that in the real world. Those who attacked, instigated and caused violence, irrespective of religion, are being investigated by the Haryana Police.
Caravan blamed Hindus for the violence
Singh then talked about Bajrang Dal and VHP activists and tried to paint them as the reason behind the violence. Notably, they kept the violence against Hindus as a “communal clash” to ensure Hindus could be painted as the culprits and crimes by the other community could be whitewashed. Quoting Rafiq Mohammad, a resident of Tauru Road in Nuh, the Caravan report suggested the Yatra that was started by VHP in 2021 aimed to provoke violence.
The report read, “Locals told me that each year the Hindu nationalists, who undertake the march, sloganeer against Muslims and routinely insult them, in an attempt to provoke violence. “They come with swords in hand, raise Jai Sri Ram slogans, all in a cavalcade of vehicles,” Rafiq Mohammad, a resident of Tauru Road in Nuh, told me.” It was an apparent attempt to whitewash that Muslims attacked Hindus in a well-planned and well-orchestrated manner. Had Hindus been behind the violence, why Abhishek died, and why was no Muslim among the dead in Nuh violence? Why were private and government vehicles, especially of the police, burnt? Who attacked the cyber crime police station specifically, and why? There are so many questions that Caravan chose to skip for obvious reasons.
Caravan then blamed Monu Manesar for instigating the Muslims. Manesar, who was accused by the Rajasthan police of killing two cow smugglers in February this year, had released a video that he would be joining the Yatra. However, he was not allowed to join. On the other hand, Islamists made him a scapegoat and used him as the trigger point to instigate the Muslims living in the Muslim-dominant Mewat area of Haryana. On the day of the violence, an old video of Manesar from October 2022 was used as the latest video claiming Manesar was on their way to Nuh. OpIndia’s detailed fact-check on the misleading video can be seen here.
Furthermore, Caravan claimed Hindus rallied through Muslim-dominant areas in Nuh armed with swords and “provocative slogans”, leading to a clash between Hindus and Muslims. The Caravan then claimed that Hindus attacked several mosques in nearby areas, including Palwal, Gurugram, Sohna and others. However, OpIndia could not find a single FIR that blamed Hindus for the Nuh violence.
This is a classic case of hoodwinking readers with strawman arguments—a move straight out of the leftist playbook—where they pin the blame of violence on its victims in their bid to shield Islamists. This trickery has often been deployed by propagandists of the Left, which seeks to demonise Hindus by branding them as aggressors, even for something as fundamental as heeding survival instincts and responding in the language their tormenters understand.
Caravan conveniently ignored what Islamists did during the attack
In every FIR accessed from the day of violence, police and devotees pointed out how rioters charged at Nalhar Temple and devotees going towards the temple at different locations. Rioters, who were raising slogans of Allah-Hu-Akbar and Pakistan Zindabad, attacked the temple. Rioters of a particular community attacked a female ACJM and her daughter when they returned from the hospital. They burnt shops and vehicles belonging to Hindus and police personnel. Another FIR revealed the rioters also attacked female police personnel. All these atrocities could not find mention in the Caravan’s report.
The Caravan summarily paid no heed to the death of Abhishek and how he was murdered. To inform Singh what happened to Abhishek, let’s recall how he was murdered. Abhishek and his brother Mahesh were trying to save themselves from the rioters shooting at devotees at police personnel from the mountains around Nalhar Shiv Temple. Abhishek got shot and fell on the floor. One of the rioters had a sword and slit Abhishek’s throat. Other rioters crushed Abhishek’s head with stones. Abhishek succumbed to injuries before reaching the hospital and was declared brought dead.
The Caravan also ignored that two home guards were murdered in the violence by a mob of hundreds of rioters chanting “Allah-Hu-Akbar”. FIR revealed their path was obstructed by the rioters using boulders. They attacked the police personnel using batons, sticks, stones and illegal weapons. If Hindus, including VHP and Bajrang Dal activists, started the violence, how the Muslim side had everything available? The caravan might need to answer from where they got illegal weapons, tons of stones, hundreds of sticks and batons to attack the devotees and police personnel. Home guard Neeraj (Khan) and home guard Gursev sustained severe injuries in the attack and succumbed to death in the hospital.
The leftist rag also failed to mention how 35-40 devotees were held hostage in ward no-9 of Nuh by the rioters of a “particular community”, and police had to use force to free them. It did not mention how rioters burned BJP leader Shivkumar’s oil mill resulting in a loss of over Rs 1.5 crores. These incidents are just the tip of the iceberg. Understandably, The Caravan did not report all these incidents as it would not have suited their agenda.
Nuh Shobhayatra Attack
On 31st July, a mob of hundreds of Muslim rioters attacked Hindu devotees participating in the Brijmandal Jalabhishek Yatra in Nuh, Mewat of Haryana. At least six people were killed as a result of the riots.
During the investigation into the riots, OpIndia accessed over 25 FIRs and complaints that provided a clearer picture of what happened during the violence. Based on information available via FIRs, complaints and witnesses, it appeared that the attack was pre-planned. OpIndia came across several videos posted two days before the Jalabhishek Yatra instigating Muslims against Hindus.
Muslims have claimed the riots happened because of Bajrang Dal activist and Gau Rakshak Monu Manesar. Old videos of Manesar were circulated to instigate Muslims saying he was going to Nuh on that day. The video that was mostly circulated was from October 2022. Detailed reports can be checked here.
Furthermore, a cyber crime police station was attacked in Nuh. Police officials were injured. Home guards were killed. The rioters first shot one of the Bajrang Dal activists Abhishek, then his throat was slit and his head was crushed leading to his death.
OpIndia’s complete coverage of the Mewat Shobha Yatra Attack can be checked here.
