New Delhi: Haryana deputy chief minister Dushyant Chautala, a member of the Jannayak Janta Party and a Bharatiya Janata Party ally, has alleged that the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal did not give the administration an accurate representation of how many people would be attending the ‘Shobha Yatra’ that passed through Nuh district on Monday. If the administration had been correctly informed, he stated, the communal violence that followed could have been avoided.
The deputy chief minister did not name the two organisations, but said the “organisers” of the yatra should have given clearer information.
“Jo kal ki yatra ke ayojak the unhone bheed ka estimation aur proper bayora jila prashashan ko nahin diya. Kahin naa kahin uski kami ke karan yah durghatna kal ghati hai (The organisers of Monday’s event did not give proper information about the expected number of persons participating in the event. This seems to be the cause behind the widespread damage),” Chautala told reporters.
The people of Mewat, he continued, have also stood firmly by the idea of India both before and after independence. “People of Mewat fought for the Independence of India. What happened in Nuh on Monday is unprecedented in the history of Haryana and those behind this incident must be identified and punished as per law,” he said, urging people to maintain peace,” he said.
When asked about Monu Manesar, a radical Hindu right-wing social media influencer who allegedly instigated violence, Chautala said, “The culprits will not be spared irrespective of their political affiliations. Tough action will be taken against those who aggravated the situation irrespective of whether they belong to a political party or a social organisation.”
Speaking to The Indian Express, Chautala questioned the likes of Manesar who claim to be cow protectors, by saying, “Being very frank, people who say they are cow vigilantes or gau rakshaks, or whatever they call themselves, a majority of them don’t have cows in their houses. This is a serious concern and we need to focus on who becomes the leader of such movements. Yes, the person you have named has been earmarked by police, he has put fuel to fire yesterday and we will take the strictest action against him as well.”
Chautala also said that despite this being the fourth year of such a yatra, “management was not at its best” this time. He also pointed out that a key senior police official was absent.
“There was an incident yesterday and I feel that the management was not at its best. The SP (Superintendent of Police, Nuh) was on leave due to a family situation and the charge was given to the SP of a neighbouring district who could not assess the situation in a better manner,” he said.