Nuh riots a political manoeuvre by BJP, Sangh Parivar: CPI(M) leader

A delegation from the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has termed the communal violence in Nuh as being meticulously planned to achieve political advantages in the upcoming Assembly and Lok Sabha elections. The CPI (M) has demanded a judicial investigation monitored by the high court into the violence.

Headed by Nilotpal Basu, a member of the Polit Bureau, the CPI (M) delegation included Rajya Sabha representatives AA Rahim and V Shivadasan, as well as Inderjit Singh, members of the Haryana State secretariat. It was the first visit by any of the opposition parties to the violence hit Nuh region.

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Completely devastated by his visit to the affected regions and conversations with the victims of the violence, AA Rahim, who is also the president in the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), shared his firsthand experience of the journey with The Federal.

"The scenes witnessed in Nuh, Haryana, were deeply distressing. The situation was far more complex than a mere confrontation between two groups, as our experience revealed. The Sangh Parivar had been propagating a campaign of hatred, seemingly with the intention of inciting such a disturbance for a considerable period. Following the outbreak of violence, the district authorities arrived promptly with bulldozers and destroyed the possessions of innocent Muslims. Individuals who had lost all their belongings were in tears before us," Rahim told The Federal. "The government is stating that the razed buildings were illegal structures, but no one had been served with any notice in this regard. Nawab Sheikh was in tears when he spoke to us. He showed us all the documents of his property there, yet his structure was demolished."

"We headed to the Nuh region first, from Delhi. We had been trying to visit the area for some time and the state government was repeatedly blocking us. They did not even approve our visit despite us being the members of parliament. Another delegation comprising CPI leaders was also denied permission even to start from Delhi," he said.

"During the entire trip to the area marked by violence, a substantial security presence accompanied us. We encountered several instances of police stopping us along the way. We saw numerous spots where vehicles were burnt, although the wreckage had already been cleared," he added.

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"Several buildings in close proximity to Nalhar Medical College housed pharmacies and medical laboratories. Almost all of these structures were bulldozed immediately following the outbreak of violence by the district administration, and this destruction appeared to be purposefully targeted that only the properties owned by Muslim community were subjected to demolition," said Rahim.

"The Mewat region has been recognised for its strong communal coexistence, and there is no history of communal clashes. The Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) mobilised the so-called religious procession totally from the outside, using armed goons. Before the march, recordings by Bajrang Dal member Monu Manesar and others that were extremely provocative and communally offensive were made viral. The local MLA's concerns and those of other notable Nuh residents were disregarded, and permission was given for the procession. This guy Monu Manesar is a wanted criminal in cases amounting to rioting and murder. He has been named in several FIRs for attacking and even killing cattle traders with Muslim names," he added.

Rahim said, "The local people told us that the police are picking up random Muslim youth while these criminals are roaming free. Almost all the youth from the entire area were either picked up by the police or fled the village out of fear. The people of Nuh want peace to prevail, but nobody in the area now has any faith in the government. What they desperately want is restoration of normalcy and for that the government should act impartially. Both the Centre and the state government should intervene immediately. The internet services should be restored. The extrajudicial execution of certain orders, which is totally inappropriate in a democratic country, should immediately be stopped. The victims should be compensated. Many of the peace committee members have this opinion. Confidence building measures should be given priority. This is an area bordering Rajasthan and the victims are predominantly Mewar Muslims. It’s evident that it’s a political ploy."

Also read: Haryana violence: Banks, ATMs in Nuh to reopen on trial basis on August 7

"We visited the Anuman Masjid area in Sector 57, Gurgaon also. It was where a group of hundreds of people attacked the Jama Masjid. During this incident, Mohammad Shaad, a 22-year-old deputy Imam of the mosque, tragically lost his life due to several gunshot wounds. He had taken on this role recently and had been assigned by the senior Imam. This young man was a poet too and he often wrote about communal amity and brotherhood between religions we were told," he added.

"The local residents, both Hindus and Muslims, cannot be held accountable for this entirely orchestrated conflict. They are not involved in any aspect of these events. This situation is a direct consequence of the divisive campaign propagated by the Sangh Parivar targeting Muslims. Clearly, this is a political manoeuvre by the BJP in anticipation of the forthcoming elections," he alleged.