Haryana Ministers say lapses by Nuh yatra organisers contributed to violence

Dushyant Chautala & Rao Inderjit Singh point out lapses on part of organisers in Nuh violence; Hooda blames admin failure; VHP's Singh says govt shying away from responsibility.

Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala and Union Minister of State Rao Inderjit Singh have both raised concerns about lapses on the part of the organisers of the yatra or religious procession in Nuh, which sparked off communal violence in Haryana, leaving six dead. The yatra was organised by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad.

Mr. Chautala said that the organisers had not given a proper estimate of their expected turnout, noting that this lapse had contributed to the violence. Mr. Rao, who is also the Lok Sabha MP for Gurugram, which includes Nuh, pointed out that the yatris had also carried weapons, and sought a probe into why both communities had been armed.

The VHP’s Gurugram president Ajit Singh, however, said that the government was shying away from its responsibility by blaming the organisers for the violence. “We had permission for the procession, but it is never possible to give the exact estimate of participants as people turn up from several neighbouring states. Also, those participating in the procession did not carry any such weapons that could cause any hurt,” he said.

Speaking to media persons on Tuesday, Mr. Chautala — who belongs to the Jannayak Janta Party — said that such an incident had never happened in the history of India. Asked about reports that the attack was pre-planned, he said that different inputs had been received and that the police were investigating all aspects.

The deputy CM said that Muslim-dominated Mewat — the previous name of the Nuh district — had a long history of fighting for the unity and integrity of the country, from the Mughal period to the post-Indepedence era. Mr. Chautala said that the Mewatis had chosen to stay behind during Partition, at the behest of Mahatama Gandhi, and had worked for a stronger India.

In reply to a question, Mr. Chautala said that all those responsible for instigation and provocation, belonging to any political party or social organisation, would be dealt with strictly as per the law.