Nuh communal flare-ups: VHP, Bajrang Dal, cow vigilante Monu Manesar instigated violence, says fact-finding team

As many as six people had been killed in the clashes on July 31 and dozens were injured in the violence. The communal flare-ups were followed by bulldozing of structures which was stopped after the intervention of the high court.

New Delhi:A fact-finding team under the banner of Campaign Against State Repression (CASR) has blamed the right-wing outfits such as Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), Bajrang Dal, and the self-proclaimed cow vigilante Monu Manesar and others for the communal flare-ups that rocked Nuh in Haryana on July 31. The report released on Thursday stated that an eruption of violence during the Jalabhishek Yatra on July 31 occurred as there was no check on VHP-Bajrang Dal members.

As many as six people had been killed in the clashes on July 31 and dozens were injured in the violence. The communal flare-ups were followed by bulldozing of structures which was stopped after the intervention of the high court.

The report further stated: "The residents of Nuh attributed the cause of the violence to the provocative statements and social media content doing rounds during the Yatra. The investigative team encountered numerous videos and statements, including provocative remarks by Bittu Bajrangi, a local leader of the Bajrang Dal."

Furthermore, the fugitive Mohit Yadav alias Monu Manesar, accused in the murder of Nasir and Junaid from Alwar, had publicly declared his intent to join the Yatra on July 31, which was one of the reasons for Nuh violence, stated the report. Monu Manesar who was linked to hate crimes under the guise of cow protection, was appearing on social media brandishing guns and is still absconding.

Several residents of Nuh who spoke to the fact-finding team blamed the Yatra which was "organized as a premeditated endeavour to fuel riots." The communal violence in Nuh was followed by several incidents of raids, detentions and arrests, and bulldozing of structures which were highlighted in the fact-finding report.

The team in its report also asserted that the district administration was engaged in arbitrary and selective action focused on a particular community. "This was manifested in the discriminatory nature of house raids, lopsided arrests, and the presentation of a skewed list of suspects belonging to a particular community," the report stated.

"The team had documented numerous instances of unlawful detentions and apprehension of minors. The police and district administration deviated from established legal norms and protocols concerning raids, arrests, and the treatment of women and minors," the report further said.

The report also demanded the release of all 286 individuals who were apprehended during the Nuh violence and the arrest of Monu Manesar and those responsible for the killing of cleric Saad in Gurugram.