A month after communal clashes broke out in Haryana’s Nuh, the district is on edge once again. The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) has decided to go ahead with the second “Jalabhishek Yatra” despite authorities denying permission for the procession.
It was on 31 July that communal violence began in Nuh over the rally after it was attacked by a mob. Six people, including two home and a cleric, were killed in the clashes that followed.
After the VHP insisted that the Braj Mandal Jalabhishek Yatra would go as planned, Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar said that the permission for the procession was denied as a precautionary measure because of the violence that gripped the state last month. He urged devotees to pray at local temples instead of travelling to other places in the state.
Another reason the state officials are cautious is because of the G20 sherpa group meeting, which will be held in Nuh from 3 September to 7 September.
However, the VHP remains defiant. We take a look at what’s going on in Haryana.
What’s the Jalabhishek Yatra?
The Jalabhishek Yatra was started by the VHP three years ago to “revive holy Hindu sites” in Nuh. The district is dominated by Muslims, which comprise 79.2 per cent of the population, according to the 2011 Census, reports The Indian Express.
During the yatra, devotees from other parts of Haryana visit temples in Nuh. Legend has it that Nuh, which was earlier called Mewat, is home to three Shiv lingas, which date back to the time of the Pandavas. Some believe that Lord Krishna crazed his cows in the region.
The procession reportedly begins at the Nalhar Mahadev Temple, the ancient shrine in the town of Nuh. It starts with the jal abhishek ceremony, where sacred water is poured on the deity. Devotees then visit the Jhirakeshwar Mahadev and the Radha Krishna Temple. The yatra ends at Shringeshwar Mahadev Temple, where another ritual is held.
Also read: Nuh violence: Who is gau rakshak Monu Manesar at the centre of communal clashes?
What’s happening in Haryana today?
Locals started the puja at the Nalhad temple on Monday but outsiders have been barred from the district. Seers from Ayodhya were stopped by the Gurugram police from entering Nuh.
Seer Jagadguru Paramhans Acharya Maharaj from Ayodhya, who has been stopped at the Sohna toll plaza from entering Nuh, has said that he is going to fast until death. “I have come here from Ayodhya…The administration has stopped us here, they are not allowing us to move ahead nor they are allowing us to go back. So I am doing fast until death. If they (the administration) will shift me somewhere else, I will do fast until death there also,” he told ANI.
#WATCH | Nuh, Haryana: Seer Jagadguru Paramhans Acharya Maharaj from Ayodhya stopped at the Sohna toll plaza by the administration.
“I have come here from Ayodhya…The administration has stopped us here, they are not allowing us to move ahead nor they are allowing us to go… pic.twitter.com/m1Dv76xkna
— ANI (@ANI) August 28, 2023
According to a report in News18, police have permitted 50 members of the VHP and other Hindu organisations to perform “jal abhishek” at the temple. All of them are locals from Nuh, who would be escorted to the shrine in police vehicles.
The Haryana Police sealed off access within a one-km radius of Nalhad temple, where violence broke out on July 31 during a VHP procession.
Meanwhile, the Haryana government has tightened security in the district. Over 1,900 Haryana Police personnel and paramilitary forces have been deployed at inter-state and inter-district borders, reports NDTV.
Educational institutions and banks are closed in the district and mobile internet and bulk SMS services have been suspended. A gathering of four or more people has also been banned.
Rajender, IG, South Range (Rewari) said, “The local and state administration have denied the permission (for the yatra)…For law and order, force deployment has been done in the area. Section 144 has been imposed in the area…I would appeal to the people to maintain a peaceful environment through mutual understanding.”
#WATCH | Haryana: On VHP yatra in Nuh, Rajender, IG, South Range, Rewari says, "The Local and State Administration has denied the permission (for the yatra)...For Law & Order, force deployment has been done in the area. Section 144 has been imposed in the area...I would appeal to… pic.twitter.com/FcoUHIv8C5
— ANI (@ANI) August 28, 2023
Why did VHP go ahead with the yatra?
The VHP has decided to go ahead with the procession without getting the necessary permission from authorities. It says that this “tirtha yatra” and the question of seeking or denying permission did not arise.
“This is a nation of pilgrimage. No one has sought any permission and, hence, the question of denial doesn’t arise,” said VHP spokesperson Vinod Bansal, adding that the yatra would start at 11 am, on 28 August, the last Monday in the month of Sawan.
According to the Hindu organisation, this is not a second yatra but an attempt to complete the first, which was disrupted after the mob attack.
The Sarv Jatiya Hindu Mahapanchayat on 13 August called for the resumption of the yatra. The VHP has the backing of Haryana’s powerful khaps.
Also read: Nuh violence: A gradual build-up, an abject failure of law enforcement, and hidden agenda
What is CM Khattar saying?
On Sunday, Khattar said that permission for the yatra had been turned down. “… It’s the duty of the government to ensure safety (of citizens). Our administration and police have taken this decision that instead of a yatra, people should perform jal abhishek (at the local level). It should be done where they (people) are living instead of staging demonstrations while going to other places in Haryana…,” said Khattar.
“Permission for yatra is denied but people can go and offer prayers in nearby temples as it is Sawan month,” he told reporters.
While a jal abhishek has been allowed, saying no to the yatra ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections might put the Haraya CM in a spot.
The Khap panchayats influence voting patterns in the state and Khattar cannot come across as the one who is going against the khap or the VHP.
With the G20 sherpa meeting in Nuh and the upcoming gathering in New Delhi, which will be attended by US president Joe Biden and other heads of state, all eyes will be on India. Any violence in neighbouring Haryana will tarnish India’s image.
Khattar has his work cut out.
With inputs from agencies
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