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The 2023 Haryana riots are ongoing riots in northern India that originated in the state of Haryana which has also spread to neighboring regions. By 1 August 2023, at least five people were killed after an annual Hindu religious procession going through Nuh district, Haryana, was attacked by a Muslim mob armed with guns, petrol bombs, sticks, and rocks.

The violence started when Hindu groups, Bajrang Dal (BD) and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), lead a religious procession through the Muslim-majority district of Nuh; the Muslim community was angered when it was announced that the procession would include Monu Manesar who is wanted by the police as a suspect in the murder of two Muslim men, Nasir and Junaid, though the man was not there. A mob (allegedly consisting of Muslims) attacked the Hindu religious procession passing through with stones and bottles, and the Hindu mob retaliated with stones as well. The Hindus taking part in the procession were forced to flee to a nearby temple, which was then besieged by the rioters. The police believe this attack was premeditated and well-organized.

The Muslim mob killed three Hindu civilians (two procession participants and one bystander) and two police officers. In retaliation, a Hindu mob burnt a mosque in Gurugram and killed the deputy imam there.

In response, the government imposed a curfew, suspended internet services, and sent extra troops to the region to prevent a further outbreak of violence.

Background

Nuh is part of the Mewat region, home to the Meo community. The Meos are a community formed by various Hindu castes who converted to Islam during the Delhi Sultanate period. They retained many Hindu customs until the 1920s, when the Tablighi Jamaat influenced them to become more orthodox. The community faced ethnic cleansing campaigns from the Maharajas of Alwar and Bharatpur during Partition, but did not leave en masse for Pakistan due to Mahatma Gandhi's insistence that they stay. Therefore Mewat was one of the few regions to retain a significant Muslim population in present-day Indian Punjab. Today Nuh district has a Muslim population of nearly 80%. Many Hindutva, including BJP MLA Madan Dilawar, have accused the district of being a "mini-Pakistan"; these comments have been condemned by others. According to The Quint, many local police accused the Muslims in the district of being not loyal to India. Social media campaigns have spread hatred towards the local Muslims, accusing them of kidnapping girls and rapes.

Cow slaughter is illegal in Haryana, and punishable by up to ten years in prison. In recent years, the Mewat region has seen increased communal tension due to the issue of illegal cow slaughter and gau rakshaks. Since 2014, incidents of cow vigilantism have increased in the district. The murder of Pehlu Khan, who was from Nuh, by cow vigilantes in neighbouring Alwar district gained national headlines. Several Mahapanchayats have been held in Nuh district calling for anti-Muslim violence. More recently in February 2023, 2 Meo Muslim men from Bharatpur district in Rajasthan, Junaid and Nasir, were lynched near Loharu by a mob allegedly led by cow vigilante and Hindutva activist Monu Manesar. The murders provoked mass protests in Ferozepur Jhirka town calling for the arrest of the accused and an end to cow vigilantism. Communal tension increased with a Mahapanchayat held in Hathin in neighbouring Palwal district in support of Monu Manesar, which featured calls for anti-Muslim violence.

Riots

On 31 July 2023, in the afternoon, violence broke out after a shoba yatra was taken out by the Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad.

The attacks began when a Vishwa Hindu Parishad's, Brij Mandal Jalabhishek Yatra, which had passed through Nuh for the past three years, was stopped by a group of men in Nuh's Khedla Mod and attacked with stones. Cars, homes, and shops of the local Hindu community were set ablaze by the predominantly Muslim mob, and at around 2p.m. around 2,500 Hindus were forced to flee to a nearby Nulhar Mahadev temple for shelter. While in the temple they were attacked by the mob, who shot at them with guns, and pelted stones. They were surrounded in the temple by the rioters for about five hours before police reinforcement from five districts were able to rescue them.

The rioters also attacked a local cyber police station. The cars outside the police station were set on fire, and a bus was also used in the attack on the police station. Other locations, such as Nuh bus stand, Nuh market, and Nuh grain market were also attacked by the rioters using rocks. A shopkeeper reported that the rioters in Nuh had robbed his store, stealing over ₹500,000 (6,000 USD).

Premeditation

According to Chaudhary Aftab Ahmed, an MLA in Nuh, the riots were planned ahead of time, and the rioters had used social media to provoke it. Manohar Lal Khattar, Chief Minister of Haryana, stated that there was a "well thought out conspiracy behind the clashes" and that the Muslim rioters did not only target the Hindus, but the police as well. Haryana home minister Anil Vij also alleged of a "conspiracy" orchestrated by a "mastermind" in "the way stones, weapons, bullets were found."

Police investigators uncovered that the riots were well planned ahead of time, and the rioters had allegedly colluded in WhatsApp group chats to assign duties in the riots, including throwing stones and throwing glass bottles at the Hindus. Police informants revealed that the groups had collected more than 3,000 bottles and rocks ahead of time. While most were intended to be used as projectiles, some were filled with petrol and intended to be used as Molotov cocktails. The rioters had also arranged more than 200 bikes and painted over registration plates to avoid being identified by the police. Police raids have recovered "huge" volumes of stones and other explosives.

Gurugram

Despite the border to Nuh having been sealed, violence spread to neighboring Gurugram, and a crowd of approximately 500 rioters began pelting stoning and torching shops and cars in the Sohna region.

The clashes in Nuh prompted retaliation in Gurugram. On 1 August 2023, the deputy Imam of the Anjuman Jama mosque in Gurugram was killed after a mob of around 50-60 people torched and opened fire on the mosque. Mobs also vandalized and set on fire several shops belonging to Muslims throughout several sectors of Gurugram.

Response

The government of Haryana banned all mobile internet and SMS services in Nuh district until 2 August 2023. A curfew was imposed in Nuh district. The sale of petrol/diesel was banned, following the use of these chemicals in makeshift explosives by the rioters. Internet was also restricted in Palwal, Manesar and Pataudi. Alerts have been issued for 11 districts in western Uttar Pradesh, especially Mathura, which shares a border with Nuh.

A compensation of ₹5,700,000 each to the families of two home guards killed was announced by the Haryana Police.

Over 80 people were arrested in connection to the riots.

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights has sought an inquiry into the involvement of children in stone pelting and other illegal activities involving the anti-Hindu riot.

Casualties

Five people, including two Home Guards and three civilians, were killed in the attacks. Four were Hindus and one was Muslim.

Shakti Singh Saini was a sweet shopkeeper who was not involved in the religious procession or riot, and was standing on the side of road. He was shot dead by the rioters.

A second civilian fatality has been identified as Abhishek from Panipat. Abhishek had taken part in the Hindu religious procession. Abhishek and his brother had come to Nuh for the procession, and were exiting the Shiv Mandir in Nalhar when they were attacked by a mob armed with guns, swords and stones. Abhishek's brother states that just as the mob started beating people his brother was shot. He tried to carry his wounded brother to safety but a man attacked them with a sword and slit Abhishek's neck. A sixth person, Bajrang Dal worker Pradeep Sharma, succumbed to his injuries at a Delhi hospital.

Two Home officers, Home Guard Neeraj s/o Chiranjee Lal and Home Guard Gursev s/o Sensi Singh were killed. Reports indicate that one of them was shot to death. In retaliatory clashes the deputy imam of a Gurugram mosque, Mohammad Saad, was also shot by a mob with several others who were with him being injured.

Eight police officers were injured by the mob and taken to a nearby hospital, including Hodal Deputy Superintendent of Police Sajjan Singh, who was shot in the head, and an inspector who was shot in the stomach.

References

1. "Five killed as religious riots erupt in Indian state bordering Delhi". The Independent. 1 August 2023. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
2. "Vishva Hindu Parishad reports death of Bajrang Dal activist, toll in Haryana clashes rises to 6". www.telegraphindia.com. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
3. "Five killed as Nuh riots spill over to Gurugram". over 200 people injured in the violence that followed.
4. "Haryana Nuh Violence: 116 arrested, 44 FIRs registered in communal clashes".
5. Travelli, Alex; Kumar, Hari (1 August 2023). "Under Hindu Nationalist Leaders, Sectarian Violence Flares in India". The New York Times.
6. Kaskar, Zeeshan. "Nuh Temple Priest Refutes Haryana Home Minister's Claim That People Were 'Held Hostage'". The polarisation along religious lines is evident in the aftermath of Monday clashes. Members of the Hindu community told The Wire that mobs consisting of Muslims ransacked their shops, even looted liquor shops, and set many cars on fire
7. ^ "India's Haryana state on edge as authorities block internet, deploy troops amid deadly sectarian violence - CBS News". CBS News. 31 July 2023.
8. "Who Is Monu Manesar? Bajrang Dal Leader And Cow Vigilante In Spotlight Over Nuh Violence". In an interview with AajTak, Monu Manesar clarified that he neither went to Mewat's Nuh nor he gave any inflammatory statement in the video
9. Raj, Aiswarya. "A meeting, assurance of no weapons, video that raised tempers: What happened ahead of Nuh yatra". Monu Manesar did not show up. He told The Indian Express that leaders from VHP and Bajrang Dal had asked him to skip the yatra
10. "Who is Monu Manesar? How this 'gau rakshak' is linked to communal strife in Haryana's Nuh".
11. "Haryana riots: Five killed as religious clashes erupt in Indian state bordering Delhi".
12. ^ Dhankhar, Leena (2 August 2023). "Nuh clashes: How the violence was planned". Hindustan Times. According to the investigators, between July 21 and 23, local groups in Nuh held meetings and laid out a plan to attack the yatra, which, they believed will be attended by Monu. People who attended these meetings formed WhatsApp groups and responsibilities were allegedly assigned to each group leader for gathering stones and glass bottles to be thrown at the procession, the investigators said, citing interrogation of people who have been arrested so far.
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15. "Alwar's Long History of Hindutva Casts a Shadow Even Today". The Wire. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
16. ^ Bose, Meghnad (16 May 2022). "Why Mewat Is a Growing Epicentre of Anti-Muslim Hate and Hindutva Vigilantism". TheQuint. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
17. "States Where Cow Slaughter is Banned So Far, and States Where it Isn't". "Cow", which includes bull, bullock, ox, heifer, calf, and disabled/diseased/barren cows, can't be killed, as per a 2015 law. Three-10 years jail and fine up to Rs 1 lakh as punishment. Ban on sale of canned beef and beef products, and export of cows for slaughter.
18. ^ Manav, Sushil (25 February 2023). "'Pehlu Khan to Nasir-Junaid' — In Nuh, anger spills onto streets as thousands protest Bhiwani murders". ThePrint.
19. "2 burnt alive in Bhiwani, kin blame 'gau rakshaks'". The Tribune. 17 February 2023.
20. "Haryana: At Second 'Hindu Mahapanchayat' For Monu Manesar, Calls for Anti-Muslim Violence". The Wire. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
21. ^ "Nuh: Mosque set on fire, cleric killed in religious clashes in India's Haryana". BBC News. 1 August 2023.
22. Kaskar, Zeeshan. "Nuh Temple Priest Refutes Haryana Home Minister's Claim That People Were 'Held Hostage'". The polarisation along religious lines is evident in the aftermath of Monday clashes. Members of the Hindu community told The Wire that mobs consisting of Muslims ransacked their shops, even looted liquor shops, and set many cars on fire
23. Bost, Saikat. "Rioters On Hillocks, Shots And Stones Fired: Nuh Temple's Hours Of Horror". When NDTV visited the temple, about 7 km from Nuh town, the Aravallis surrounding the temple looked scenic. Hours before, rioters gathered on these hillocks had fired shots and thrown stones as those inside the temple cowered into corners, hoping to survive those hours of horror.
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26. "Nuh violence: Temple, hospital, police station targetted by unruly mob". "Around 3.20 p.m. on Monday, the mob attacked the cyber crime police station just behind my shop in Nuh grain market. Thousands of people from a single community with sticks, bricks, and pistols attacked the police station and damaged and set dozens of cars parked outside the police station on fire. The attacker also used a bus to attack the police station and damaged it as well. Several cops received serious injuries during the clash," Lala Ved Prakash Garg, former vice president of Market Committee, told IANS.
27. "What led to communal clashes in Haryana's Nuh, Gurugram". Afzal Ahmed, an MLA in Nuh, on Tuesday, alleged the incident was a planned act of violence."A planned act of violence has been carried out. In the past, there have been trips, but nothing like this ever happened," Ahmed said."Provocation was deliberately done by uploading videos on social media," the MLA added.
28. Dutta, Sonakashi. "Nuh attack pre-planned, hints towards bigger conspiracy: Haryana CM". On Tuesday, August 1, Haryana Chief Minister, Manohar Lal Khattar, said that the attack by the Muslim rioters on the Hindus, who were part of the VHP procession, was pre-planned, and that this points towards a bigger conspiracy.
29. "Haryana violence LIVE: Mahapanchayat in Manesar at 11am tomorrow". Amid the clashes in Haryana that broke out between two groups in Nuh district in which five people lost their lives, chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar said that it is clear that there was a "well thought out conspiracy behind the clashes" as the anti-social elements didn't just target members of the procession but also the cops. (ANI)
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31. "How Nuh Rioters Planned Violence 10 Days Before Communal Clash; '3,000 Glass Bottles, Stones...'". Nearly 3,000 glass bottles and 300 bikes with registration plates blackened were arranged and sent to different groups that were going to target the procession
32. "How Nuh Rioters Planned Violence 10 Days Before Communal Clash; '3,000 Glass Bottles, Stones...'". Nearly 3,000 glass bottles and 300 bikes with registration plates blackened were arranged and sent to different groups that were going to target the procession
33. "How Nuh Rioters Planned Violence 10 Days Before Communal Clash; '3,000 Glass Bottles, Stones...'". Nearly 3,000 glass bottles and 300 bikes with registration plates blackened were arranged and sent to different groups that were going to target the procession
34. "How communal violence spread from Nuh to Gurugram, why Haryana is burning, how is the situation now". Since morning, four-five people were doing rounds on motorcycles. No one was caught or questioned. Their motorcycles did not even have registration numbers. The shopkeepers say that they have been looted. Shopkeepers say that their shops have been ransacked. Money has been looted. The restaurant in Badshahpur was vandalized and then set on fire
35. Sharma, Sumedha. "Nuh violence spreads to Gurugram". A crowd of around 500 rioters pelted stones and torched over four shops and a cab near Ambedkar Chowk in the Sohna region
36. ^ "Hindu mob kills imam, sets fire to mosque in India's Gurugram". Al Jazeera. 1 August 2023.
37. ^ "Haryana violence August 1 updates NCPCR seeks inquiry into children's involvement in stone pelting". The Hindu. 1 August 2023.
38. "Haryana Violence Live Updates: Fresh violence erupts in Gurgaon's Badshahpur, mob sets ablaze two shops". "There have been reports of communal tensions in Nuh district and bordering areas of Gurugram district, which poses a potential threat to law and order in the region," the order said.
39. "Alert in 11 west UP districts in wake of Haryana violence". Hindustan Times. 1 August 2023. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
40. Bost, Saikat. "Rioters On Hillocks, Shots And Stones Fired: Nuh Temple's Hours Of Horror".
41. "Nuh Violence: NCPCR Seeks Inquiry Into Children's Involvement In Stone Pelting".
42. Shukla, Saurabh. "Rioters Stormed Nuh Police Station With Hijacked Bus. Goal: A Clean Slate". Four people, including two Home Guards, were killed, and at least 30 others injured in clashes that broke out between two groups in Haryana yesterday. The clash started during a religious procession in Haryana's Nuh, adjoining Gurugram
43. "Five killed as Nuh riots spill over to Gurugram". Two more civilians were killed in the violence at Nuh on Monday. One of them was identified as Shakti Singh Saini, a local resident who was not involved in the clashes, but was standing by the side of the road, where he was shot dead. The other person is yet to be identified, but his body was found at the main crossing in Nuh around 8.30pm on Monday.
44. "Violence spreads to parts of Gurgaon, CM Manohar Lal Khattar says conspiracy". a man identified as Abhishek from Panipat who joined Monday's rally
45. "Had to leave my dying brother to save myself, says 22-year-old who came from Panipat to participate in procession". He also claimed, "I was trying to get Abhishek somewhere safe, but a man with a sword slashed his neck and fled… I had to leave him there and take shelter in a tent. After an hour, policemen came and took him to a hospital but he was declared dead."
46. "Vishva Hindu Parishad reports death of Bajrang Dal activist, toll in Haryana clashes rises to 6". www.telegraphindia.com. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
47. "Nuh Violence, Two Home Guards Killed in Clashes; Haryana CM, Other Leaders Appeal for Peace".
48. "Clash in Haryana's Nuh: Two home guards killed, cars burnt, stones pelted in VHP rally violence". Eight of the injured police personnel were taken to Gurugram's Medanta Hospital, he said. Among the injured Hodal Deputy Superintendent of Police Sajjan Singh was shot in the head and an inspector in the stomach

• Nuh district
• 2023 riots
• July 2023 events in India
• August 2023 events in India
• 2020s in Haryana
• Crime in Haryana
• Violence against Hindus in India
• Anti-Muslim violence in India
• Riots and civil disorder in India