Haryana: Internet suspended in Nuh for 24 hours ahead of religious procession

The Haryana government has suspended mobile internet and bulk SMS services in Nuh district for 24 hours ahead of the Braj Mandal Jalabhishek Yatra. This decision was made due to the violence that occurred during the same event last year.

According to an order by Haryana Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Anurag Rastogi, internet services in the district will be suspended from 6 pm on Sunday to 6 pm on Monday.

"... there is an apprehension of causing tension, annoyance, agitation, damage of public and private property and disturbance of public peace and tranquility in the district Nuh..," the order read.

The suspension order aims "to stop the spread of misinformation and rumors" on social media platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, and Twitter.

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini said, "We have alerted the officials. I want to appeal to the people that this is a religious event. We live in a society of harmony."

"The yatra passes through the Braj Mandal by the devotees of Lord Krishna. There should be cooperation during the yatra to make it successful," he added.

The police in Nuh have implemented stringent security measures to ensure the smooth conduct of the yatra. Local police, along with commando units, mounted police, dog squads, and bomb squads, are strategically placed across the district.

To ensure safety, the Nuh police are using drones and dog squads for ongoing search operations and surveillance. All vehicles entering and leaving the district undergo video recording and dog squad inspections at various checkpoints.

Mounted police are also visibly present at various locations within the district. To reassure the public, a flag march was conducted under the supervision of the Superintendent of Police in Nuh.

The police have denied permission for cow vigilante Bittu Bajrangi to attend the yatra. Bajrangi, the national president of Goraksha Bajrang Force, was arrested last year for making divisive statements that allegedly incited communal clashes in Nuh district.

Last year, on July 31, two home guards were killed and at least 15 others, including several policemen, were injured when a mob in Haryana's Nuh district tried to stop a Vishva Hindu Parishad procession by throwing stones and setting cars on fire.

Later that night, a mob targeted a mosque in Gurugram, resulting in the death of its naib imam. The interfaith clash led to the deaths of at least five people and left many others injured.