Nuh Violence: Deserted Villages, Late Night Raids, Mass Arrests ( News Click )

The atmosphere of fear is such that Muslim men are hiding in the hills of Aravali or have left the district to evade “random” arrests and avoid “implication” in false cases.

By Tarique Anwar / News Click

New Delhi: The aftermath of violent communal clashes in Haryana’s Nuh district weaves a compelling narrative, spanning the trajectory of events before, during and after the unrest, and unveils a harrowing tale of alleged administrative “failure, brutality and injustice”.

Normalcy has apparently returned to the Mewat region. However, villages are deserted, deprived of any sign of the presence of men folk.

The atmosphere of fear is such that Muslim men are hiding in the hills of Aravali or have left the district to evade “random” arrests and avoid “implication” in false cases. The prevailing atmosphere is one of pervasive fear, leaving people afraid of venturing out.

Advocate Haroon Khan, who is defending several accused, mentioned the troubling case of three brothers of a practising advocate who had been picked up by the police while walking on the road. Though they were released later, he questioned the fairness of such detentions and arrests — suggesting that “if even individuals with connections were being targeted, the treatment of the poor must be so much worse.”

He said charges of murder and attempted murder, sections 302 and 307 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), respectively, are being slapped on individuals, and a staggering 248 people have been arrested.

Advocate Khan highlighted that minors were picked up and charged as adults.

“The police tried its best to deprive them of any opportunity to present their case or proof of age,” he alleged.

This story was originally published in newsclick.in. Read the full story here

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