APCR fact-finding team sheds light on several human rights violations perpetrated by the state. Local activists said that they had reached out to the administration and warned them about the simmering communal tensions in Nuh leading up to the clashes.
Team Clarion
NEW DELHI — Administrative negligence, complicity and inaction of the police force and an inflammatory media are responsible for the communal violence that rocked Nuh, Gurugram and other cities of Haryana earlier this month, a fact-finding report has revealed.
The report is the outcome of a visit to the affected cities by an 11-member team of the Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR). It is a non-governmental organisation committed to advocating for the rights of marginalised communities. It was established in 2006 with a primary focus on providing pro-bono legal assistance and doing public advocacy.
The report contains quantitative data meticulously collected by a dedicated team of advocates, journalists and social activists.
The fact-finding team documented the accounts of affected families of individuals who were arrested by the Nuh Police and also recorded the statements of responsible citizens operating in the area including Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) and community leaders, shedding light on several human rights violations perpetrated by the state.
The report says there were different accounts about the immediate cause for the violence, but both sides agree on one thing: the provocative atmosphere and hateful online build-up in Haryana in the days and months that led to the violence.
Following the violence, many instances of anti-Muslim violence in response to the Nuh clashes were reported from different parts of Haryana like Sohna, Gurugram, Palwal, Bahadurgarh and Faridabad. In the industrial city of Gurugram, which houses many multinational companies, a young Muslim cleric was stabbed to death, and a mosque was torched by an angry mob.
Reports of hate assemblies calling for boycotts and attacks against Muslims are being reported from different cities. As of August 7, the situation remained tense and volatile, with very little civilian movement on the streets of Nuh villages like Mewli which is said to be amongst the worst affected in the spate of arrests following the July 31 violence.
Hindutva supporters led by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) accused the Meo Muslims of Mewat of violently ambushing the Braj Mandal Jalabhishek Yatra. On the other hand, the Meo-Muslims blame the Hindu bogey led by the Bajrang Dal for initiating the violence. The Muslims allege that a video by the absconding cow vigilante leader, Mohit Yadav, who goes by the name Monu Manesar, and is said to be involved in the murder of two Muslim youths from the region, provoked the riots.
In the past, Monu Manesar has been associated with several gruesome cases of anti-Muslim violence whose videos were filmed and shared by Monu and associates on their social media.
Videos of other Hindutva leaders like Bittu Bajrangi and Dinesh Bharti provoking hatred against Muslims have surfaced online. They have been involved in anti-Muslim hate speech in the past. Meanwhile, videos by Mewati Muslim Youtubers have also come under police scanner. However, one of the most viral videos of provocation being claimed to be that of a Muslim from Haryana is actually by a Pakistani Youtuber named Ahsan Mewati. In the video, he can be seen provoking violent action against the rally.
A video of the VHP secretary, Surendra Jain, allegedly shot before the violence broke out has also gone viral on social media. Describing Mewat as Krishna’s land, Jain said, “We need to change Mewat’s character.”
“It is not the land of cow killers, Hindu murders, [Inter-Services Intelligence/Pakistani] agents, Rohingya and Bangladeshi infiltrators, or those involved in conversions,” he added.
Local activists said that they had reached out to the administration and warned them about the simmering communal tensions in Nuh leading up to the clashes. The families of Nasir and Junaid, the duo charred to death by cow vigilantes on February 15, 2023, continue to protest and demand Monu Manesar’s arrest. Weeks before the duo’s death, Manesar was accused of murdering a mechanic called Waris. A video of visibly injured Waris had featured online hours before he is said to have died in an “accident.” Despite being wanted for murder, Manesar continues to roam freely as the police seem to treat him with kid gloves, many locals alleged. In the absence of police action, he has become the face of cow vigilantism in Haryana. However, in Mewat the anger against Manesar and the impunity he seems to enjoy has exponentially grown over the months.
Chaudhary Aftab Ahmed, the Congress MLA from Nuh, said that the rumour about Monu Manesar being present in the rally led to this violence. He also claimed that he had informed the local police about these developments.
In the aftermath of the violence, at least 156 Muslims have been arrested in Nuh. Advocate Tahir Husain Devla accused the administration of randomly arresting youth in what he describes as a one-sided crackdown. Another complaint by the local Muslims is the bulldozing of homes and businesses, mostly belonging to Muslims without following due process.
As of 7th of August, the demolition drive has been halted by a judicial order by the Haryana and Punjab High Court but hundreds of homes, shops, hotels and makeshift settlements have already been destroyed.
The report says the administration failed to take timely and appropriate action despite being alerted about potential unrest, including hate speeches and provocative videos circulated by Monu Manesar and Bittu Bajrangi.
These warnings were ignored, contributing to the escalation of violence.
The report also pointed out the police inaction. “The police’s inability to maintain law and order was evident, as shown by the rescue of ACJM Anjali Jain and advocates by locals during the violence. This exposed the administration’s failure to ensure the safety of citizens and protect public property,” the report said.
It asserted that the July 31 violence was premeditated and planned, with evidence communicated to the administration prior to the outbreak. The media’s inflammatory content further fueled the hostile environment.
The APCR team quoted several testimonies pointing at the police complicity in the violence. “Videos and accounts suggested that police actively participated in the vandalism, destruction, and intimidation during the riots, undermining the trust citizens have in law enforcement,” the team said.
It said the arrests made by the police were one-sided, targeting Muslims and leaving out any potential involvement by Hindus. This skewed approach to arrests further deepened the divide between communities.
Chain of Events
The chain of events began with a display of violence in Nuh. This initial outbreak of violence by the Hindutva mob was a precursor to a disturbing escalation that would soon engulf Gurugram, Badshahpur, Sohna and Palwal areas of the state.
In Gurugram’s Sector 57, the Anjuman Jama Masjid was attacked by a mob numbering between 90 to 100 individuals. The mob torched the mosque and attacked and murdered the naib imam, Maulana Saad, by stabbing him multiple times and cutting his throat. Khurshid Alam, a dedicated caretaker of the mosque, suffered gunshot wounds.
In Palwal, violence began immediately following clashes in Nuh. Locals reported that a mob targeted the Hamidia mosque, launching an attack and setting several parked bikes ablaze. This initial act of aggression acted as a catalyst, triggering a chain reaction of violence that would grip the area in the coming days.
As the turmoil persisted, the unrest escalated on the following day. Three other mosques became targets of violence. In Sheikhpura, a mosque faced a barrage of hurled stones, while the situation turned even more dire at Minar Gate, where a mosque was set on fire.
In Hodal, reports emerged of a mosque being subjected to an alleged attack involving petrol bombs, intensifying the chaos and fear within the community.
The wave of violence wasn’t limited to religious institutions alone. Several scrap shops were set ablaze. In response to the escalating situation, traders had to close their shops, and authorities imposed prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC (Code of Criminal Procedure) to maintain some semblance of order. It’s noteworthy that despite the severity of the situation, no curfew was imposed at this point.
Emerging reports from Badshahpur depicted a violent scene as a mob engaged in acts of vandalism and set shops ablaze. These distressing visuals captured the incident unfolding on 1 August, marking a significant escalation of the ongoing turmoil. The main market of Badshahpur bore witness to an unsettling scene as approximately 200 individuals, arriving on motorbikes and SUVs, targeted the area. In Badshahpur, the mob’s focus appeared to be primarily on biryani stalls, to target Muslim businesses specifically. A total of 14 shops fell victim to their rampage, highlighting the extent of the destruction.
Meanwhile, in Gurugram’s Sector 66 vicinity, an alarming incident unfolded as a mob ignited chaos by setting ablaze 7 stores.
The unrest extended beyond Badshahpur, with Haryana’s Sohna also falling prey to the violence. On 1 August, a day after disturbances had already erupted in different parts of the state, including Nuh, the Shahi Jama Masjid mosque in Sohna became a target.
The attack on the mosque occurred a mere few hours following a peace march led by the police and district authorities in the area.
Among the 156 arrested till now related to violence all are Muslims and several of them are minors. “The atmosphere of fear is such that Muslim men are hiding in hills or have left Nuh. They fear being implicated as the police are conducting random arrests from villages in Nuh,” alleged advocate Tahir Hussain Devla.
The arrests are completely one-sided. Police are not registering FIRs against the other side. More than 50 FIRs have been registered in Nuh city related to the violence and more than 156 people have been arrested from Nuh, Tauru, Firozepur Jhirka, and Punhana all of whom are Muslims.
“Not a single person from the other side has been arrested,” alleged advocate Tahir Hussain Devla who practices in District and Sessions Court, Nuh. He is the defence lawyer for the majority of those arrested. “The atmosphere of fear was such that many advocates refused to defend these cases. Police picked up even three of the advocates and later released them. This is being done to intimidate the lawyer community so that nobody comes forward to fight these cases,” he said.
Arbitrary charges of murder and attempted murder, Sections 302 and 307, under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) are being slapped on individuals, and a staggering 113 people had been arrested (by 5/8/23), all of them Muslims. Advocate Hussain highlighted that minors being tried as adults, are deprived of any opportunity to present their case or proof of age. He emphasised the stark contrast in treatment, where Hindus arrested are given charpais (cots) to sleep on, and Muslims endure torture throughout the night.
Women’s Accounts of Police Brutality
The accounts of women from the Mewli village bear witness to the realities faced by the community, whose husbands and brothers were picked up by the police from their houses while sleeping.
Farida’s testimony shows the impact of arbitrary arrests on innocent lives, with her husband Aazad and brother-in-law Salim taken away without cause. “My husband Aazad and my brother-in-law Salim were both taken from our home at 5 o’clock in the morning while they were sleeping. They did not even let my husband button his clothes…Our livelihood depends on selling milk, our entire business has been ruined, and we are poor people. We have lost 2.5 quintals of milk till now.”
Rizwana’s account paints a grim picture of the police’s actions, with young boys picked up on fake accusations. “Everyone in our family is in service; some work in the health department, while others are in the electricity department. We led peaceful lives, never involved in any criminal activities. The police accused my brothers of bike theft based on a fake video, but we had no such involvement. They barged into our home at 5 a.m., a day after the riots, and took away whoever they found sleeping in the house. All of my brothers were at home during the riots but the police falsely accused them and took them away.” Rizwana broke down during her testimony while recounting these events.
