Gurugram: Chants of ‘Jai Shri Ram’, Hanuman posters, and a flurry of saffron flags with batches of devotees arriving in buses and personal vehicles from various districts of Haryana marked the beginning of the Brij Mandal Yatra in Nuh on Monday.
The yatra began at Kira village in Nuh, and proceeded to the Nalhar Shiva temple for the bathing ritual of Lord Shiva. The devotees then visited another Shiva temple in Firozpur Jhirka, before the yatra concluded peacefully at the Radha Krishna temple in Shingar village.
On Monday, heavy security was deployed every 2 km, and vehicles were thoroughly checked to prevent any untoward incident. The entire procession was guarded by drones, policemen, and the Rapid Action Force (RAF). In addition, a curfew was imposed in Nuh, and internet services were suspended by the district administration.
Last year, communal clashes broke out in parts of south Haryana during the yatra, resulting in the deaths of six people and injuries to several others.
The members of the Bajrang Dal and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) participated in the yatra even as the administration kept them at the sidelines. Bajrang Dal state coordinator Bharat Bhushan, who participated in the yatra, refuted that his organisation was sidelined.
“We were not sidelined, but this time the Hindu priests and locals took charge and carried out the yatra. We have always supported the yatra, and members of the Bajrang Dal have joined in huge numbers,” he told ThePrint.
This year, the Muslims had set up 19 camps along the route of the yatra to welcome the devotees, showering them with rose petals and handing out water bottles and wishing them a safe journey.
“We are showering flowers and welcoming the devotees. Last year’s incident was the doing of outsiders, not locals. Those elements came with the intention to vitiate the environment, and they were successful then, but this time locals have taken charge,” Arshad Hussain, a local resident, told ThePrint
Neeraj Mittal, a VHP member from Kaithal, had brought 250 devotees along with him to the Shiva temple at Nalhar.
The group that came along with Mittal was showered with rose petals and handed water bottles, but the VHP man himself was sceptical about the motive behind the arrangements.
“If there is brotherhood between the Hindus and the Muslims, why has the government suspended the internet and imposed a curfew? What are they afraid of?” he contended.
Another VHP member claimed that Muslims in Mewat are converted and should return to their roots. “They were Hindus who were converted during the rule of Muslim rulers. They should now come back to their original religion. We will accept them,” the VHP member said.
The yatra first started four years ago with the support of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2021, recalled Yogesh Hilalpur, one of the organisers of the Brij Mandal Yatra.
“This Shiva temple was always revered. During the first week of Sawan (a holy month for the Hindus), women would come with Kalash to the Shiva temple, but it would happen on a very small scale. However, in 2021, with the support of the BJP, a proper yatra took place, and since then, it has been held every year,” he told ThePrint.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
Also Read: Planned Delhi Kedarnath temple resembles original, priests want assurance of different structure