In the wake of a call for Shobha Yatra, a religious procession in Nuh district of Haryana, strict security precautions have been put in place. Police forces have been deployed across the district, and internet services have been temporarily suspended to prevent the spread of rumours or provocative messages that could lead to unrest.
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday asked devotees to offer prayers at temples in their neighbourhood on Monday instead of holding any ‘yatra’. Permission has not been granted for the ‘yatra’, he said.
“Instead of a ‘yatra’, people can visit temples in their areas for ‘jalabhishek’,” he said and asserted that it is the state government’s responsibility to maintain law and order.
August 28 is the last Monday of the holy month of Shravan.
Despite the fact that the police had rejected authorisation for the religious parade, the Hindu outfit, VHP, stated that it will still take place.
1,900 Haryana Police personnel and 24 companies of paramilitary forces have been deployed. No outsider will be allowed to enter Nuh. All entry points to the district have been sealed and the road leading to the Malhar temple has also been closed, PTI quoted the police spokesperson as saying.
Haryana police chief Kapur on Saturday said the administration has denied permission for the yatra due to a meeting of the G20 Sherpa Group, scheduled to be held in Nuh from September 3 to 7, and to maintain law and order in the aftermath of the July 31 violence.
He also presided over a meeting with senior officers of Punjab, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and the Union Territory of Chandigarh through video-conferencing and called for coordinated efforts to effectively deal with any emerging situation.
In another development, police said Ferozepur Jhirka MLA Mamman Khan has been sent a notice to join the investigation on August 30 in connection with the Nuh violence. Some Hindu organisations had accused Congress MLA Khan of making provocative statements.
According to officials, traffic on the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal Expressway and the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway would resume. However, access to Nuh would be restricted. Meanwhile, the district’s mobile internet service has been banned from August 26 to August 28.
It has also implemented Section 144 of the CrPC, which prohibits gatherings of four or more people in one place until Monday.
Meanwhile, the Board of School Education, Haryana, on Sunday announced the postponement of the diploma in elementary education exam in Nuh. The exam, which was to take place on Monday, will now be held on September 4.
It said the decision to postpone the exam was taken in the wake of the imposition of prohibitory orders and the closure of schools in Nuh on Monday.
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