August 1, 2023
NEW DELHI – Mobile internet services have been temporarily suspended in Nuh district of Haryana after clashes erupted between two groups on Monday.
Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij said adequate force is being deployed in Nuh following the clashes. “We’ve also spoken to the Centre. We are trying to restore peace there. All those who are stranded in different areas of Mewat region are being rescued,” Vij said.
He said members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad took out the yatra in Mewat after getting due permission from the police. The minister said when the yatra reached Nand village, people from the other community started throwing stones at the yatra.
He said that police teams from nearby districts were being deployed to Mewat and police personnel were being air dropped in places where roads have been blocked. Vij appealed to the people to maintain peace in the state.
An official spokesperson said “in view of the potential cause for communal tension and disturbance of public peace, temporary suspension has been imposed to stop the spread of disinformation and rumours through various social media platforms, such as Whatsapp, Facebook Twitter, etc. on mobile phones and SMS.”
This order was issued after at least five people, including two policemen, were injured in a clash that broke out between two groups in Nuh on Monday, during the Brij Mandal Jalabhishek Yatra taken out by Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP). The injuries were allegedly sustained from gunshots and stone pelting.
Nuh, part of the wider Mewat region, is a Muslim-dominated area. Reports say the clash was triggered by an objectionable video posted on social media by a Bajrang Dal activist. Sources said a Bajrang Dal member had circulated the video a few days and announced Monu Manesar, one of the accused in Nasir-Junaid case, would join the Yatra in Mewat.
According to reports, a group of people threw stones at the yatra following reports of Monu Manesar’s presence.