One year after an attack on a Hindu religious procession led to communal violence in Nuh and other parts of Haryana, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Bajrang Dal on Wednesday announced that they plan to conduct a similar religious event in the district on July 22.
The Nuh administration and police, however, stated that they have no knowledge of any such procession being planned, and added that no one has sought permission to conduct the event.
The event, named the Brij Mandal Jal Abhishek Yatra, was initiated as an annual affair by VHP in 2020and aims to “revive holy Hindu sites” in Nuh — a district around 50km from Gurugram, where Muslims constitute 79.2% of the population, according to the 2011 Census.
The procession begins with a ceremonial “jal abhishek” (pouring of sacred water) at the Nalhar Mahadev temple. This ancient temple, surrounded by the Aravallis near Nuh city, is believed to date back to the time of the Pandavas, and houses the Nalhar Pandava Reservoir.
On July 31, 2023, communal violence broke out in Nalhar villageof Nuh after mobs attacked the procession. The ensuing violence spread to other parts of Haryana, including Gurugram, leading to the death of six people, with a further 88 injured. Police later said that they believe the clashes were triggered by three provocative videos released by cow vigilantes on social media — two by Mohit Yadav alias Monu Manesar, and another by Raj Kumar (better known as Bittu Bajrangi) — ahead of the religious procession.
This story was originally published in hindustantimes.com. Read the full story here.
