Rumours, ‘provocative’ videos, open wounds — Nuh tries to unravel what fuelled communal violence

Nuh/Haryana: Mohammed Talha stares at the broken glass in his home on Nuh’s Medical College road. Vandalised by a mob, the insides of his house — with broken glass and flower pots, and torn wires strewn all over the floor — are an indication of the communal violence that hit Nuh on 31 July during a religious procession called the Braj Mandal Yatra organised by Hindutva groups Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Matrushakti Durga Vahini.

His family of four, including his 4-year-old granddaughter, hid in one corner of their house to avoid injuries as their home was pelted with stones.

I heard loud thumps on the main road and rushed to see what had happened from the balcony. They started pelting stones and broke whatever they could,” Talha told ThePrint. He and his family are living with a relative till they can get repairs done on their own house. The renovation remains delayed amid curfew in the area. Mobile internet services, too, continue to remain suspended.

A drive through Nuh — from Tiranga Chowk and Meoli Modd, to Medical College road and Nalhar road — reveals how communal clashes consumed Nuh despite around 500 police personnel being stationed in the district on the day of the yatra to maintain the law and order situation. The violence also soon spread to neighbouring areas.

According to sources, a meeting was held 10 days before the yatra, flagging security concerns to district authorities. However, present Nuh Superintendent of Police (SP) Narendra Bijarniya told ThePrint that the meeting was a “routine” one.

At the Shaheed Hasan Khan Mewati Govt Medical College in Nalhar, Goldy Kumar, 32, from Karnal, Haryana, is still recovering from a gunshot injury he suffered in his stomach during the clashes. He’s currently in the ICU. A total of 21 people were admitted to this hospital.“He had just come to attend the rally with our cousin. We had no idea where he was until two days after the violence. The Nuh Police called up the village pradhan and informed us that he was severely injured,” said Anil Kumar, 39, his elder brother. “He hasn’t been able to talk to any of us,” Kumar said.

Two police personnel were also severely injured in the clashes, and two home guards succumbed to their injuries from stone pelting.