New Delhi: Scores of workers of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal took to the streets of the national capital Wednesday, chanting “Jai Shree Ram”, reciting the Hanuman Chalisa and brandishing effigies and placards that read, “Hinduon par hamla karne wale kattar jihadiyon ko jail mein bandh karo (jail the staunch jihadists who attack Hindus)”.
“They killed our Hindu brothers in Nuh and have been targeting Hindus for a long time,” said Mithilesh Verma, affiliated with the Tilak Zila unit of the Bajrang Dal’s Delhi wing.
“Whenever we have a yatra, they create a commotion and attack us. It’s all pre-planned to scare Hindus but we won’t be scared. We will fight back. This is just a display of our strength,” added Verma, who was part of the protest held in Subhash Nagar.
Similar demonstrations are being held at 23 locations across the national capital region (NCR) amid police presence. Sources in the Delhi Police told ThePrint that no official written permission was sought by Hindutva groups and only prior “intimation” was given.
Speaking to ThePrint on condition of anonymity, a senior Delhi Police officer said the force “received information that demonstrations will be held, and the city has been on high alert in the wake of the incidents in Nuh and Gurugram”.
“Security forces — police and Rapid Action Force (RAF) — have been deployed in all sensitive areas to maintain law and order,” the officer added.
The protests were allowed to take place despite prohibitory orders in place in parts of NCR in the wake of communal clashes that took place in Haryana earlier this week. In Gurugram’s sector 57, a mosque was torched and its imam killed in the early hours of Tuesday.
ThePrint visited protest sites at Dwarka Mor, Uttam Nagar, and Subhash Nagar and found workers of Hindutva outfits insisting that the protests were being held to project “Hindu unity” and that they would “not tolerate violence” against the community.
At Dwarka Mor, effigies were burnt by Bajrang Dal workers carrying placards that read “Desh ke gaddaron ko jail mein band karo (lock up those who have betrayed the country)” and “Hindustan mein rehna hai to Vande Mataram kehna hoga (if you want to live in Hindustan, you have to say Vande Mataram)”.
Chants of “Jai Shree Ram” were raised using loudspeakers.
Raju Bhatti and Ramesh Bhatti, two brothers at the protest site in Subhash Nagar, alleged that “temples of Hindus are being attacked” and “Hindus are suffering”.
“They are torturing Hindus and we will not be quiet,” claimed Raju.
Asked about the violence in Gurugram, Prakash, another worker, said this was “bound to happen”.
“They are taking over the country, killing our cows,” he added, in an apparent reference to Muslims. “I have seen in the news and social media that Hindus are suffering more. If Muslims have to live in our society, they have to live by our terms,” said Prakash.
Shiv Shakti, another protester at Dwarka Mor, declared, “This time, we are burning effigies. If they don’t stop, we will also forget our limits. This is just a warning.”
Also Read: 4 arrested over midnight attack on Gurugram mosque & murder of imam, more raids underway
Saga of communal clashes & flared tensions
A number of shops owned by Muslims were burned or vandalised by mobs in parts of Gurugram Tuesday. The previous night, the Anjuman Jama Masjid in Gurugram’s sector 57 was torched, the Naib Imam Maulana Saad was killed, and a caretaker injured.
These incidents were preceded by communal clashes that broke out during a procession in Haryana’s Nuh district, organised by Hindutva groups VHP and Matrushakti Durga Vahini.
Multiple instances have since been reported from neighbouring Gurugram of Muslim vendors being targeted and many returning to their native villages fearing communal violence.
Clashes in Haryana have claimed six lives with the Bajrang Dal claiming that one of its workers, Pradeep Sharma, was among those who succumbed to injuries.
According to Haryana DGP P.K. Agarwal, 15 FIRs have been lodged by the Gurugram police and around 30 people have been detained in connection with the violence. Nuh Police, meanwhile, have lodged 26 FIRs so far and arrested 116 people in this regard.
Tensions have been flaring up in the region since February following the murder of two Muslim men — Junaid and Nasir — by cow vigilantes. The duo from Rajasthan’s Bharatpur was allegedly abducted, killed and their bodies torched and dumped in Haryana’s Bhiwani.
A video of Monu Manesar, accused in the killings, is allegedly at the centre of the communal clashes that erupted in parts of Haryana this week. “I will be in the yatra in person and my whole team will also be present,” he had purportedly said in a video message. However, he later told media persons that he didn’t attend the rally at the VHP’s suggestion.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
Also Read: 6 dead in Haryana communal clashes, 116 arrested so far, CM appeals for peace