One thing that survived the “nefarious mindset” of the criminals who started the worst-ever communal fighting in Haryana on July 31: The social fabric of this society in Nuh, where mistrust has prevented religious divisions between the communities.

Muslims have been manning the local temple in the village of Ghasera, where Mahatma Gandhi had appealed to the Meos to prefer remaining in India over moving to Pakistan during Partition.

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Shaukat Ali keeps a cautious eye out for any strange activity all day because his home is the closest to the temple. “We don’t want strangers to jeopardise the tranquility of our neighbourhoods. Ten Muslim men and two men from the Hindu community sleep on the temple grounds every night to defend it. We are more concerned about outsiders who could cause trouble than the people themselves, he claims.

In Ghasera, there aren’t many Hindu families, thus the Muslims are in charge of keeping an eye on the former. “The sarpanch held a meeting right after the riots and we were assigned this duty of protecting the brotherhood that exists in our village,” says Tayab Hussai as he wraps his arm around villager Mukesh Bhardwaj during a passionate conversation.

Ram Karan, a former sarpanch in the nearby village of Chhapera, shares his hookah with Ismail and other locals. In tough times like these, when attempts are being made to divide us, there is complete trust between our communities, and we frequently accompany members of the other group to guarantee that they reach their homes safely. Mohd Abdullah and Shahida both nod in agreement.

“A temple and a mosque cannot be separated from one another. Going to any location is irrelevant given that we have all grown up here. No local participated in the VHP’s shobha yatra, which is when these confrontations broke out, therefore Ravinder Kumar claims that this is nothing more than a political plot to gain support before the 2024 election.

Desraj, the owner of a private school, claims that he sees his farmer friend Hakim every day in Chhachera. “On July 31st, an autorickshaw driver dropped off four Muslim women in front of my school before fleeing the area when fighting started. Before their families arrived and removed them, we made them comfortable. One woman who had a baby was unable to return that evening. She refused my offer to take her to my house so that I could make sure she was secure. Hakim opened his doors for her after I explained to him why I didn’t want to leave the girl alone on the school grounds, despite the fact that it was safe to do so. She stayed at his house since she felt safer there till her husband picked her up.