Hry prepares for Nuh procession and switches off the Internet

The Haryana government on Sunday suspended mobile internet service in Nuh and imposed a precautionary ban after the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Bajrang Dal announced plans to hold a religious procession through the district on Monday.

Nuh Deputy Commissioner Dhirendra Khadgata confirmed that permission for the yatra had been granted, adding that mobile internet services would resume only by 6 pm on Monday.

Vijay Pratap Singh, the district police superintendent, said strict security arrangements have been made to ensure safety of participants and smooth conduct of the event. The SP led a flag march across the district with vigilant police presence at key locations including Nuh town, Nalhareswar Temple, Aravalli Hills, Badkali Chowk, Jhirkehswar Temple and Sringeshwar Temple (Singar).

The precautionary measures have been taken in view of the annual event called Brij Mandal Jal Abhishek Yatra, launched by VHP in 2020. The purpose of the procession is to revive “holy Hindu sites” in Nuh – a district about 50 km from Gurugram where Muslims form 79.2% of the population, according to the 2011 census.

The procession begins with a ceremonial ‘Jal Abhishek’ (pouring of holy water) at the Nalhar Mahadev Temple. This ancient temple, surrounded by the Aravallis near the town of Nuh, is believed to date back to the Pandavas’ era and houses the Nalhar Pandava Reservoir.

On July 31, 2023, communal violence broke out in Nalhar village in Nuh after a mob attacked the procession. The ensuing violence spread to other parts of Haryana, including Gurugram, and resulted in the deaths of six people and another 88 injured. Police later said they believed the clashes were sparked by three provocative videos posted by cow activists on social media ahead of the religious procession – two by Mohit Yadav alias Monu Manesar and another by Raj Kumar (better known as Bittu Bajrangi).

Since VHP and Bajrang Dal have called for a fresh yatra on July 22 this year, Haryana’s Deputy Chief Secretary (Home) Anurag Rastogi issued an order suspending mobile internet services as well as bulk SMS services (except banking and mobile recharge) and all dongle services on mobile networks (except voice calls) in Nuh. They said Rastogi issued the orders under the provisions of Section 20(2) of the Telecom Act, 2023 and Rule 2(1) of the Temporary Suspension of Telecom Services (Public Emergency or Public Safety) Rules, 2017.

Khadgata said the orders were issued to prevent disturbance of peace and public order in the district.

“The suspension is aimed at curbing the spread of inflammatory content and false rumours that have the potential to incite violence, damage public and private property and disrupt law and order. The misuse of internet services to spread misleading information through social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter and to mobilise and organise crowds for violent activities has necessitated this measure,” Khadgata said.

Meanwhile, SP Singh said the police had deployed ground and air personnel and kept commando units, mounted police, dog squads, bomb disposal squads and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel on high alert.

“An intensive surveillance operation has been carried out, including drone surveillance and searches by dog ​​squads. Checkpoints have been set up where vehicles entering and leaving the area are checked by video recording and dog squad checks. Mounted police units have also been deployed at various locations in the district,” he said.

Nuh police also issued a special traffic alert for the duration of the yatra. Heavy vehicles have been advised not to enter the district until after the event is over. They have also deployed CCTV to monitor vehicles coming from other states and districts.