While maintaining that the violence in Nuh that has sparked mayhem in the bordering districts of Haryana since Monday was a result of provocation from both sides, Gurgaon MP and Union Minister of State (Independent charge) Rao Inderjit Singh has questioned the participants of a religious yatra for carrying weapons like swords and sticks during the procession.
“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 Indian Express.
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Singh further attributed the violence in the state to several social media posts, claiming that it had led to “negative thinking” among the people. “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,” he said, adding that he has asked the police to probe who uploaded these videos.
According to Singh, the area where violence took place is a Muslim-dominated area, but had never witnessed such violence since partition. “Why did it happen now? I believe social media is responsible.”
According to Singh, a small fight between children, “who started pelting stones at each other”, was “the spark” that lit the fire. The MP 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”.
Regretting the killings of Nasir and Junaid, Rajasthan residents who were killed by alleged cow vigilantes and their bodies dumped in Bhiwani, in the area in the past and said they had left a “persecution complex” in the minds of a particular community.
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Singh, a former Congress leader, has been a Minister of State in the Narendra Modi government for the past nine years. He was dropped from the BJP’s National Executive in October 2021, leading to a sense of dejection among his supporters who believe their leader has not been given his due. They now want him to be declared as the party’s CM face for 2024.
Former BJP MP from Hisar and ex-Union minister Chaudhary Birender Singh claimed that the people of the area have been the most peace-loving irrespective of caste and religion, but blamed “conspiracies” in the recent past as the reason behind the current disturbance.
Six people, including two home guards and four civilians, have died in the violence that broke out in Nuh on Monday. Prohibitory orders have been issued in Nuh, Palwal, Gurugram and other districts. The Delhi Police has been on high alert and has stepped up vigil on the Gurgaon and Faridabad borders. As many as 116 people have been arrested, said Haryana CM Manohar Khattar, adding that 41 FIRs have been filed in connection with the Haryana riots.