The Haryana police on Monday detained Vishwa Hindu Takht (VHT) chief Viresh Shandilya, minutes before he could leave for South Haryana’s Nuh to take part in the ‘Jal Abhishek’ yatra in Nuh district.
According to SP Jashandeep Singh Randhawa, the VHT chief has been kept under “house arrest” at his residence in sector 1.
Haryana is put on high alert with heavy security arrangements in place after the Sarv Jatiya Hindu Mahapanchayat called for a ‘Shobha Yatra’ on Monday in Nuh district despite chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar denying permission for the procession. This comes as the district was already tense following communal clashes last month.
On Sunday, Shandilya criticised Khattar for not allowing the Yatra saying “they don’t need any permission to visit a temple”.
Meanwhile, the district administration imposed Section 144, appealing to the public to avoid any kind of movement in Nuh. All educational institutes, including schools and colleges, and banks in the district will remain closed, Nuh sub-divisional magistrate Ashwini Kumar said.
Top updates on Nuh Shobha Yatra:
The Sarv Jatiya Hindu Mahapanchayat on August 13 called to resume the Brij Mandal Shobha Yatra in Nuh on August 28 which was disrupted after violence broke out in the district in July. However, Manohar Lal Khattar did not give permission to carry out the yatra to maintain law and order. Speaking at a programme in Panchkula on Sunday, the chief minister said, “Since there was a law and order situation during the yatra last month and now it is the responsibility of the government to maintain law and order, that is why the permission to carry out this yatra was not given.”
Despite not being allowed permission, the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Sunday said that Braj Mandal Shoba Yatra would be peacefully organised. VHP leader Alok Kumar said, “no issues related to law and order would arise”.
Speaking to the news agency ANI, the VHP leader said, “We know that G20 is going to start, so we will shorten the yatra. But we will not leave it and will complete it tomorrow. I will also take part in it. The government is there to maintain law and order so that people can organise their religious events peacefully and safely.
According to a police spokesperson in Nuh, 1,900 Haryana Police personnel and 24 companies of paramilitary forces have been deployed. All entry points to the district have been sealed and the road leading to the Malhar temple has also been closed. However, the traffic on the KMP Expressway and the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway will continue normally.
The state government has suspended mobile internet services from August 26 to August 28.
On Saturday, Nuh deputy commissioner Dhirendra Khadgata and Superintendent of Police Narendra Bijarniya held a meeting with peace committees in view of the yatra. Police chief Kapur also presided over a meeting with senior officers of bordering states – Punjab, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and the Union Territory of Chandigarh -and called for coordinated efforts to effectively deal with any emerging situation.
Communal violence broke out in Nuh district on July 31 when a religious procession by the VHP was attacked with stones and vandalised, and private and police vehicles were set on fire. Six people, including two home guards and a cleric, died in the clashes. The violence quickly spread out to Gurugram which has witnessed stray incidents of violence.
According to reports, the clashes were triggered after Bajrang Dal activist Monu Manesar, a cow vigilante who is accused of lynching two Muslim men, and his associates had circulated an objectionable video a few days ago and were supposed to join the procession.