Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala and Union Minister of State Rao Inderjit Singh have both raised concerns about lapses on the part of the organisers of the yatra or religious procession in Nuh, which sparked off communal violence in Haryana, leaving six dead. The yatra was organised by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad.
Mr. Chautala said that the organisers had not given a proper estimate of their expected turnout, noting that this lapse had contributed to the violence. Mr. Rao, who is also the Lok Sabha MP for Gurugram, which includes Nuh, pointed out that the yatris had also carried weapons, and sought a probe into why both communities had been armed.
The VHP’s Gurugram president Ajit Singh, however, said that the government was shying away from its responsibility by blaming the organisers for the violence. “We had permission for the procession, but it is never possible to give the exact estimate of participants as people turn up from several neighbouring states. Also, those participating in the procession did not carry any such weapons that could cause any hurt,” he said.
‘Probing all aspects’
Speaking to media persons on Tuesday, Mr. Chautala — who belongs to the Jannayak Janta Party — said that such an incident had never happened in the history of India. Asked about reports that the attack was pre-planned, he said that different inputs had been received and that the police were investigating all aspects.
The deputy CM said that Muslim-dominated Mewat — the previous name of the Nuh district — had a long history of fighting for the unity and integrity of the country, from the Mughal period to the post-Indepedence era. Mr. Chautala said that the Mewatis had chosen to stay behind during Partition, at the behest of Mahatama Gandhi, and had worked for a stronger India.
In reply to a question, Mr. Chautala said that all those responsible for instigation and provocation, belonging to any political party or social organisation, would be dealt with strictly as per the law.
‘Vested political interests’
In a press interaction on Wednesday, Mr. Chautala said that an alleged video by one person could not have led to the entire incident. He said that it was a “chain of incidents” and that many people, including those with vested political interests and so-called social activists, were involved. Mr. Chautala said that the Superintendent of Police, Nuh, had been on leave for some reasons, and the officer given additional charge of the district was not able to assess the situation well.
Endorsing these views, Congress Rajya Sabha MP Deepender Hooda blamed the incident on “administrative failure”, adding that the statements of the two Ministers had also pointed towards it.
On Tuesday, Haryana Chief Minister Manohal Lal Khattar had said that the attack on the procession was “unfortunate” and seemed to be part of a larger conspiracy.
