A young imam was beaten and stabbed, and Muslim homes and businesses were bulldozed. Arrests were made, but predominantly Muslims were seen behind bars. The events of July 31st, intensified religious tensions, signaling the onset of another unsettling riot.
“They are torturing Mewat. This is being done to make the Bajrang Dal happy,” said Rasheed (one of the 300 Muslims whose property was destructed)
This blog delves into the Nuh riots, addressing causes, facts, statistics, similar historical outbreaks and actionable solutions.
What Happened in Nuh, Haryana
The initial spark that ignited the riot is attributed to a video posted by cow vigilante Monu Manesar.
In his video, Manesar urged his followers to join an upcoming rally in Haryana, one of the Brajramandal Yatras organized on a massive scale by the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) in 2021.
As Monu Manesar’s video gained viral traction, young Muslims from Nuh countered with their own videos, urging the administration to deny him entry to the rally and demanding his arrest. These videos also went viral, starting a protest against Monu Manesar.
This clash of viewpoints between the two communities ultimately led to anti-Muslim violence erupting in various regions of Haryana.
Why Is It Happening?
“Those who had nothing to do with the violence are bearing its brunt,” said Rafiq Ahmed, who ran a medical store in Nuh. “I had a license for this shop. This is the tyranny of the government.”
The ruling political party in Nuh, Haryana, is the BJP, known for its close affiliations with the VHP and the Bajrang Dal. In India, events like rallies and processions, where a majority of participants are from a particular religion, are often encouraged. Some of these gatherings have witnessed instances of hate speech. The unsettling events in Manipur had not yet subsided when the country became embroiled in another collective and selective incident of religious violence.
Members of civil society, through their social media posts and meetings, warned the government to address the issue and take action, but the Haryana administration remained unresponsive, creating an impression that they wanted the disputes to arise.
As previously mentioned, although arrests were made, they predominantly targeted Muslims. One of the very few lawyers who advocated for those arrested without thorough investigation mentioned that the atmosphere in Nuh is worse than during the pandemic lockdown. At least during that time, people didn’t have hate in their hearts. People in Haryana are arbitrarily arrested and thrown into jail, and nobody dares to intervene due to the fear of getting arrested themselves.
Seeking Change
A few days before the tragic murders of Junaid Khan and Nassir Hussain, Waris Khan’s family accused Monu Manesar of involvement in his murder. In April 2022, at least four viral videos posted by Manesar showed mobs attacking and torturing Muslim men in Haryana. Locals also blame the Hindutva leader, Bittu Bajaragi, for his provocative posts that seemed to have angered Muslims before the yatra. In 2021, Bajranji stated, “We are with the brothers who killed Asif and sent him to his 72 virgins.”
These are just a few examples; brutal clashes over religious differences have been occurring in India for a long time. Unfortunately, many of us remain unaware of what’s really happening in the country.
It gives me chills to think that just a few hundred kilometres away, people are dying for crimes they didn’t commit, fleeing their homelands out of fear, and enduring much more. How can anyone sleep at night?
Nothing, absolutely nothing, will change in this country or the world unless we change our way of thinking, embrace peace, vote for a government that recognizes that cyber security isn’t about shutting down the internet in an entire state for extended periods, and, most importantly, spread awareness because if we don’t no one will.