A massive demolition drive targeting “illegal” constructions in Nuh, Haryana, has intensified tensions between two communities in the violence-hit state. The Nuh district administration has deployed bulldozers to raze Sahara Hotel, marking the fourth day of the operation.
According to officials, the violence in Nuh erupted on Monday when some individuals pelted stones at a religious procession from the rooftop of the Sahara Hotel. In response, a mob attacked the procession, forcing over 2,500 participants to seek refuge in a nearby temple.
Earlier, nearly a dozen shops, including medical stores, were razed on Saturday, while shanties of migrants living in Tauru, approximately 20 km away from the violence-hit area, were demolished earlier in the week for encroaching on government land.
Authorities have identified that some of the structures being demolished belonged to individuals involved in the recent clashes. As of now, approximately 50 to 60 structures have been demolished in various areas. The fear of arrests has led many residents to flee from the affected regions. Bulldozer operations have been conducted across different places in Nuh for three days, and sources indicate that the authorities are targeting illegal encroachments that have persisted for several years.
The communal clashes that erupted on Monday resulted in the tragic deaths of six people, including two home guards and a cleric. The unrest escalated as the evening progressed, with a mosque being torched post-midnight and over a hundred vehicles set ablaze and vandalized as mobs wreaked havoc in Nuh and neighboring Gurugram. Haryana’s Home Minister, Anil Vij, has alleged the existence of a “big game plan” behind the violence while denying opposition claims of intelligence failure. However, the Nuh Superintendent of Police has stated that, so far, there is no evidence of a mastermind behind the clashes. In response to the unrest, 106 first information reports (FIRs) have been filed, leading to the arrest of over 216 individuals.
Additionally, 24 FIRs have been registered against social media posts, and four people have been arrested for content that potentially incited violence.
Authorities continue to take measures to restore peace in the region and address the root causes of the tensions. Investigations into the underlying factors behind the clashes are ongoing, while efforts to maintain law and order and promote communal harmony remain paramount for the administration.
The situation in Nuh calls for collective efforts to foster understanding, tolerance, and peaceful coexistence among different communities in the state, as authorities strive to bring normalcy back to the region.