Chandigarh: Even though the day passed off peacefully without any "Brijmandal Jalabhishek Yatra" event in the communally-sensitive Nuh district of Haryana amid heavy security arrangements, the entire town wore a deserted look on Monday.
Pertinently, the state government had denied permission to take out the said procession but held that the "Yatra" had been disallowed, not the people going to temples to perform the rituals at the temples.
The state government had suspended mobile internet services in since Saturday in the wake of Hindu organisations’ insistence to take out religious procession "Brijmandal Jalabhishek Yatra" despite government’s denial of permission for it, compelling the state government to step up the security arrangements so as to maintain peace and public order in the Muslim-dominated district.
July 31 communal riots
For the record, Nuh had witnessed communal violence on July 31 last, which claimed six lives and massive damage to public and private properties after the religious procession ``Brijmandal Yatra'' was attacked by mobs. The district had initially remained under curfew for a few days but it was later relaxed from 6 am till 8 pm (14 hours).
Monday saw deployment of about 2,000 personnel of Haryana police and 24 companies of paramilitary forces to keep a strict vigil, deploying drones, putting check-points at various inter-state as well as intra and inter-district points across the district, besides taking other measures.
Only locals allowed in Nuh
Adopting a middle path, the administration allowed small groups of people including the right-wing leaders as well as priests pray at the Nalhar temple in Nuh, in the wake of government’s denial to take out a "yatra" (procession) on the event on the last Monday of the holy month of Shravan.
According to media reports, the vehicle of Hindu seer Jagatguru Paramahans Acharya from Ayodhya was also stopped near Sohna in Gurugram.
Meanwhile, Nuh deputy commissioner Dhirendra Khadgata told the newspersons that some groups of seers and leaders of some of Hindu groups were allowed to visit the Nalhar temple for the Jalabhishek rituals.
The police had put a few right-wing leaders under house arrest, disallowing them to go outside their houses, VHP leader Yashwant Shekhawat said, according to media reports.
CM thankful over peaceful yatra
Meanwhile, Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar raised concerns over Congress' silence on Nuh Violence, even though the involvement of one of its MLAs had been questioned by the police. "Surprisingly, Congress is neither condemning their MLAs whose names have been dragged in this issue, nor they are giving any clarification," said Khattar while addressing a press conference after the Vidhan Sabha session here Monday.
The chief minister said that not only has one of the Congress MLAs been issued a notice by the police, but fingers were also being pointed at some other MLAs from the party in connection with the Nuh violence incident. "Despite these grave allegations, the Congress party has maintained a silence that is raising eyebrows.
Expressing gratitude to the citizens and other social organisations of Nuh for the peaceful conduct of the Shobha Yatra, Khattar said the government had appealed to the district residents to maintain peace during the Shobha yatra. "I am thankful to Nuh citizens and the social organisation for giving complete cooperation for the peaceful organisation of this Yatra," he said and added that "We are grateful to the workers of Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the people of other social institutions and the saints who peacefully completed the Jalabhishek in the temples."
