Intense clashes between two communities have ravaged Nuh and Gurugram districts of Haryana following an attempt to stop a Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) procession.
The violence and tension started in Nuh district – where the VHP rally was held – before spreading to Gurugram, where a mosque was burnt down overnight. Shops were also set ablaze in the Badshahpur area in Gurugram on Tuesday.
According to traders in Nuh, a mob also attacked Shiv temple, Nalhad medical college, bus stand, a Cyber crime police station, and traders’ shops during the clashes on Monday.
The traders at the Nuh grain market alleged that the state government has failed to maintain the law and order situation in the district.
They alleged that the government even failed to deploy security forces on time.
Eyewitnesses told IANS that they could not recall any situation in their life where policemen were forced to run to save their lives.
“Around 3.20 p.m. on Monday, the mob attacked the cyber crime police station just behind my shop in Nuh grain market. Thousands of people from a single community with sticks, bricks, and pistols attacked the police station and damaged and set dozens of cars parked outside the police station on fire. The attacker also used a bus to attack the police station and damaged it as well. Several cops received serious injuries during the clash,” Lala Ved Prakash Garg, former vice president of Market Committee, told IANS.
He claimed that the attackers even pelted stones at the Nuh bus stand, Nuh market, and Nuh grain market during the clashes.
“At the time of the attack, I was inside my shop alone and somehow managed to down the shop’s shutter to save my life. They robbed some cash amount of Rs 5 lakh along with my two-wheeler. The cash remained inside the two-wheeler. They damaged the car and two-wheelers parked outside the shop,” he said.
Yogesh Gupta, an advocate, who was also present in his shop at the grain market, said, it was a planned attack.
“The Brij Mandal Yatra was in knowledge of local administration. They even know the seriousness of the religious event in Nuh district but the administration failed to make proper arrangements to deal with any unwanted situation,” he said.
He alleged that the incident took around during the morning hours but the security forces reached the district late evening hours on Monday.
“Even the police personnel could not save themselves,” he said.
Meanwhile, a policeman posted at the cyber crime police station in Nuh requesting anonymity told IANS that the attackers were pelting stones all across the police station.
“Around thousand of people of a particular community, raising some slogans, attacked the police station. At that time, 7 to 8 policemen were inside the police station. They even set my motorcycle parked inside the police station premises on fire. But somehow we retaliated with our weapons and saved us from the attackers. They damaged the police station tin shade, and a car parked inside the police station,” he said.
Besides, the mob also attacked Nalhad medical college in Nuh and damaged the college property.
Due to the incident, the patients were shifted to another hospital.
The traders also alleged that to hide their identity the attackers damaged CCTV cameras installed outside their shop and in the market area.
However, no fresh violence was reported in Nuh and Gurugram districts on Tuesday.
A flag march has also been taken out by the police in the districts in the morning. An official said that adherence to Section-144 is being ensured.
ADGP law and order of Haryana Police, Mamta Singh and ADGP M. Ravi Kiran, South Range, Rewari visited several places in Nuh district to review the situation.
They talked to the victims and assured them of all possible help.
However, both the senior police officers refused to talk to the media.