2023 Haryana riots

2023 Haryana riots , commonly referred to as the Nuh violence , were a series of clashes in northern India that originated in the district of Nuh and spread to nearby regions within Haryana . On 31 July 2023, communal violence erupted in Nuh, Haryana, between Muslims and Hindus during an annual Brajmandal Yatra pilgrimage organised by the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP). By that evening, related incidents of communal violence were reported from Gurugram and Sohna . As of 3 August 2023, the situation had resulted in at least seven fatalities and over 200 reported injuries. On 20 July 2023, Bajrang Dal activist and cow vigilante Monu Manesar posted a video announcing that he would participate in the Yatra, which quickly went viral . The Muslim community of Nuh was outraged, as Manesar is wanted as a suspect in the February 2023 lynching of two Muslim men . Upon hearing that Manesar would be in the procession, young men from the local Muslim community organized, meeting from 21 July to 23 July to make plans for an attack. Manesar did not ultimately attend at the request of the organizers due to security concerns. Local police believed that Manesar's absence would keep the crowd calm enough for law enforcement to prevent violence. Violence broke out on 31 July during the annual Brajmandal Yatra pilgrimage through the Muslim-majority district of Nuh. Rioters executed an attack on the procession, pelting it with stones, bottles, and molotov cocktails . This triggered retaliatory actions from the Hindu procession participants. The Hindus taking part in the procession were forced to flee to a nearby temple, which was then besieged by rioters armed with guns, who fired upon the temple. The police believe the attack on the procession was premeditated and well-organized. In response, the government imposed a curfew, suspended Internet services, and sent extra paramilitary troops to the region to prevent a further outbreak of violence. Retaliatory violence broke out in nearby districts. Hundreds of Muslim-owned shops and homes were bulldozed in the following days. Officials in Nuh claimed that the buildings destroyed were illegally erected or belonged to rioters, but there was no investigation or advance notice given to owners before their properties were razed. Calm and order were said to have been restored on 8 August 2023. The Independent . 1 August 2023 . "Five killed as Nuh riots spill over to Gurugram" . over 200 people injured in the violence that followed. "Haryana Nuh Violence: 116 arrested, 44 FIRs registered in communal clashes" . mint . 2 August 2023. The New York Times . "Monu Manesar: Cow vigilante wanted for Nuh violence arrested from Haryana" . 12 September 2023 . In an interview with AajTak, Monu Manesar clarified that he neither went to Mewat's Nuh nor he gave any inflammatory statement in the video "Who is Monu Manesar? How this 'gau rakshak' is linked to communal strife in Haryana's Nuh" . 1 August 2023. "A meeting, assurance of no weapons, video that raised tempers: What happened ahead of Nuh yatra" . He told The Indian Express that leaders from VHP and Bajrang Dal had asked him to skip the yatra Dhankhar, Leena (2 August 2023). According to the investigators, between July 21 and 23, local groups in Nuh held meetings and laid out a plan to attack the yatra, which, they believed will be attended by Monu. People who attended these meetings formed WhatsApp groups and responsibilities were allegedly assigned to each group leader for gathering stones and glass bottles to be thrown at the procession, the investigators said, citing interrogation of people who have been arrested so far. Hours before, rioters gathered on these hillocks had fired shots and thrown stones as those inside the temple cowered into corners, hoping to survive those hours of horror "Nuh violence: Is bulldozer punishment trampling justice in India?" . 8 August 2023 .