Nuh spillover: Sec 144 imposed in Rajasthan’s Alwar, Bharatpur after shops attacked

The decision was taken to maintain peace in the area and avert any further violation of the law and order, a senior police officer said.

Gathering of four or more people under Section 144 was imposed at many parts of Rajasthan’s Alwar and Bharatpur districts on Wednesday following scattered incidents of violence reportedly sparked by the recent communal violence erupted in neighbouring Haryana’s Nuh district on Monday

Gathering of four or more people under Section 144 was imposed in many parts of Rajasthan’s Alwar and Bharatpur districts on Wednesday after shops were attacked. (PTI photo)

While the Alwar district administration declared the imposition of Section 144 at 10 areas of the districts till August 10, Bharatpur authority also prohibited the assembly of four or more people at two of its tehsils under the same section till the further order where internet was also suspended from Tuesday along with two other tehsils.

The decision came after the violence began in Haryana’s Nuh district also spread to parts of its another district Gurugram on Tuesday as mobs set fire to and vandalised dozens of establishments. Nine people have also been arrested and two juveniles apprehended in Rajasthan’s Bhiwadi for allegedly being part of a mob that vandalised three shops late on Tuesday.

A mob attacked two meat and a car repairing shop, all three belonging to Muslims, on Tuesday afternoon and prompted the district collector to impose Section 144 in in Alwar, Nijara, Ramgarh, Govindgarh, Katumar, Laxmandgarh, Tapukada, Malakheda, Kishangarhwas, and Kotkaseem, Bhiwadi assistant police superintendent Sujeet Shankar said

“The decision was taken to maintain peace in the area and avert any further violation of the law and order,” he said

Police said they have deployed additional forces in the area to maintain peace and asked local people to immediately report any potential incitement to violence.

Nine people have been arrested and two juveniles apprehended for allegedly being part of a mob that attacked a meat shop in Rajasthan’s Bhiwadi late on Tuesday.

Over two dozen youths carrying rods and chanting ‘Jai Shree Ram’ attacked the meat shop, Bhiwadi police superintendent Vikas Sharma said

“When they started damaging the shop, the shop-owner fled the spot to save his life. They later also damaged two more shops– all owned by Muslims. Police immediately reached the spot. But the goons escaped once we reached. Based on the videos recorded by the locals, we identified them.”

Police said they have been unable to contact the shop owner yet but a case was filed against the attackers under Indian Penal Code’s Sections 153(A) (promoting enmity between different groups), 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting armed with deadly weapons), and 149 (unlawful assembly).

ASP Shankar also added the youths were not from any particular Hindu organisations. “They were local youths incited by the riot that erupted in Haryana and gathered only to vandalise the shop out of revenge. We are in the process of arresting more people. Further investigation is underway.”

The shop was attacked as security forces fanned across neighbouring Nuh, Palwal, Gurugram, and Faridabad districts to prevent further outbreaks of violence.

Meanwhile, Bharatpur district administration also decided to continue the suspension of the internet service in four tehsils of the Haryana’s adjoining region- Pahari, Kaman, Sikri, and Nagar.

“Suspension of the internet connection has been extended till 6 am on August 3. After the violence in Haryana, Manu Manesar who is the prime accused in the Bhiwani double murder case threatened to circulate his video on social media, following which the internet connection was already suspended since Tuesday morning in four tehsils to stop rumours,” district divisional commissioner Sanwar Lal Verma said.

However, the Bajrang Dal and Viswa Hindu parishad also declared to take out a protest rally in the state’s capital Jaipur on Wednesday to demonstrate against the incident in Nuh.

A cleric was killed when a mosque was attacked in Sector 57 at Haryana’s Gurugram, taking the toll in the clashes to five. Mobile internet services were suspended in Nuh, Manesar, and Pataudi. Prohibitory orders were under effect in Faridabad, Palwal, and Gurugram districts.

Bajrang Dal member and cow vigilante Monu Manesar, who has been on the run after his alleged involvement in the killing of two Muslim cattle traders in February, earlier posted videos claiming he would be at an annual religious procession in Nuh.

Clashes first erupted on Monday when Hindu and Muslim groups clashed during Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s Shobha Yatra in Nuh, around 50km from Gurugram. Two home guards were killed and over 200 people were injured in the violence that followed.

A police officer said the trigger for the violence was videos suggesting that Manesar would also be a part of the procession. But he did not turn up. The violence began in Haryana’s Nuh district on Monday and spread to parts of Gurugram on Tuesday as mobs set fire to and vandalised dozens of establishments.

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