‘Do or die situation’: At mahapanchayat, Hindu group gives call to pick up arms

In the wake of the violent clashes that erupted in Haryana's Nuh on July 31, a Hindu group held a mahapanchayat in Palwal to discuss the preparations to resume the Vishva Hindu Parishad’s Brij Mandal Jalabhishek Yatra, which was disrupted after stone pelting on July 31.

Palwal SP, Lokender Singh, had said that the permission for mahapanchayat was granted on several conditions, including prohibition on hate speech

At the mahapanchayat, Haryana Gau Rakshak Dal’s Acharya Azad Shashtri called it a “do or die situation” and asked youths to pick up arms.

Shashtri said, “We should immediately ensure getting license of 100 arms in Mewat, and not guns but rifles because rifles can do long range firing. It is a do or die situation. This countries division was on the basis of Hindu & Muslims. It’s because Gandhi that these Muslims stayed back in Mewat.”

He also asked the youth not to be afraid of FIRs. “We shouldn’t be scared of FIRs. There are FIRs against me also but we shouldn’t be scared,” he said.

The mahapanchayat, organised by Sarv Hindu Samaj took place at Pondri village in Palwal district, which borders Nuh. At the gathering, discussion was held on the resumption of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) procession, which was abruptly halted due to the outbreak of violence in Nuh. The procession was attacked by mobs, leading to the death of six people, including two home guards and a cleric.

The procession in Nuh, a Muslim-dominated region, was met with resistance and ultimately led to communal clashes.

The Hindu groups decided to complete the yatra on August 28. At the mahapanchayat, the Hindu groups put forth the following demands:

• An investigation into the Nuh clashes should be done by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
• Rs 1 crore and government jobs should be given to the families of those killed in the violence and Rs 50 lakh for the injured.
• A survey should be carried out to analyse the damage caused due to vandalism during the Nuh clashes and compensation should be provided accordingly.
• Those who have entered the state illegally should be immediately deported.
• Police should identify the rioters and take strict action against them.
• A central forces' headquarters in Mewat.

Six people, including two home guards and a cleric, died in the communal clashes that erupted in Nuh when a VHP procession was attacked by a mob on July 31.