At least four people were injured, and a motorcycle was set ablaze after clashes erupted between two communities from Mundaka and Hajipur villages in Haryana's Nuh district on Tuesday evening, said officials.
The confrontation took place between two communities over the parking of a vehicle, and several 'jhuggis' were also torched, leading to stone-pelting. This incident also caused a heavy traffic jam on the Haryana-Rajasthan border.
'No rioting took place'
In a statement, the Haryana Police said "no rioting took place" and a case has been registered in this regard. It also said that additional forces have been deployed in the region to bring the situation under control.
"Around 4 PM, a dispute broke out between two youths on the road... 4-5 boys gathered from both sides, leading to a scuffle... During this, some mischievous elements tried to disrupt the peace. Since the police reached the spot in time, the situation was controlled before it could escalate," said Nuh SP Rajesh Kumar, as reported by news agency ANI.
The police have also registered an FIR against 30-40 unknown people for inciting violence, and detained 12 others.
Nuh a sensitive area
Nuh has been a communally sensitive area. In July 2023, riots broke out in the district after a Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) procession was attacked by a mob. The riots led to the death of six people, including two home guards and a cleric, while several others were injured.
Later, the National Commission for Minorities said there was "no failure" from the side of the administration, but there were shortcomings. It also said that the violence in Nuh was not a part of an organised crime, while adding that locals were not involved in the incident.
It, however, noted that some youths became victims after being incited by some social media posts, which need to be addressed. The commission also appealed to the people to maintain peace and harmony in the region.
"The incident was disappointing, the whole episode snowballed due to misuse of social media, however, it was not an organised crime," NCM Chairman Iqbal Singh Lalpura said, as reported by PTI. "NCM monitored the events that occurred during the violence pro-actively... People say that those who committed violence were outsiders. Local Muslims protected the temples while Hindus protected the mosques."
