Nuh Clashes: Spreading Hate With Impunity
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By Our Editorial Team
First publised on 2023-08-02 07:28:45
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The India Commentary view
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The communal flare-up in Nuh, which subsequently spread to Gurugram, was totally avoidable if the administration had acted with alacrity. The mischief was done many days before the annual VHP-organized Brij Mandal Jalabhishek Yatra. It is a matter of regret that despite the mischievous video which challenged the other religious community being in circulation few days before the yatra, the administration could not spot that there will be trouble during the yatra and did nothing. In the video, Mohit Yadav or Monu Manesar, who has several criminal cases pending against him, reportedly made inflammatory remarks and said that he will be present in Nuh during the yatra. That was an open challenge to the other community.
It is being reported that the Muslims then started mobilizing people from close-by areas to give a fitting response. Was the administration not aware of this? Why was Mohit Yadav not arrested? Administrations all over India are given to make wholesale pre-emptive arrests just on suspicion of trouble but in this case, even when trouble was staring them in the face, the Haryana government chose not to act before the event. Now, Haryana chief minister M L Khattar says that the violence was "preplanned and part of larger big conspiracy". Even if this is true, was it not a massive intelligence failure and by that token, failure of governance too?
The problem is that no action is being taken against spreaders of hate from the majority community in BJP-ruled states. Hence, people get away with circulating inflammatory videos or making fiery hate speeches in the so-called religious mahashabhas. This is emboldening them and others like them to spread hate and incite violence. This cycle of violence must be stopped and finger-pointing will not do. In this age of social media, the administration will have to keep tabs on such videos, be proactive and nip the mischief in the bud by arresting those who circulate such material.
