Amid tension in Nuh over the call for Jalabhishek Yatra by Sarv Hindu Samaj and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Monday, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has urged people to offer prayers at Shiva temples in their neighbourhood, instead of “holding the procession” in view of the communal clashes in the district a month ago.
Speaking on the sidelines of a Rahagiri programme to promote non-motorised transport in Panchkula on Sunday, Mr. Lal said “the procession is not allowed”, and maintaining law and order was a responsibility of the government. “It was decided by the administration and the police that people should offer prayers at local temples instead of holding the procession. People should offer prayers wherever they are. The procession is not allowed. Keeping in view the faith of devotees, since it is the last Monday of Shravan month, they can offer holy water at nearby temples,” said Mr. Lal.
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VHP joint general-secretary Surendra Jain told The Hindu that the proposed Jalabhishek Yatra would “go on” but the organisers were open to “discuss its size and form”. He did not comment further on the expected size of the gathering and the starting and culmination points.
Haryana DGP Shatrujeet Kapur had on Saturday reiterated that permission for the procession was denied by the Nuh administration in view of the G-20 summit in the district next month and keeping in view the law-and-order situation.
On Sunday, Nuh Superintendent of Police, Narendra Bijarniya, said that locals are allowed to visit temples and offer prayers, but procession in the form of a cavalcade or devotees visiting from outside the district is not permitted. The district administration has also made an appeal to the people to avoid unnecessary movement.
VHP leaders at a press conference in Delhi on Saturday had said that only local Hindus from Nuh would be part of the procession.
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However, former Gurugram Bar Association president Kulbhushan Bhardwaj, a prominent local Hindu leader, claimed that people from different parts of the State would reach Nalhar temple in vehicles and then march to Singar village, the culmination point of the procession.
The Nuh administration has suspended Internet services and bulk SMSs, imposed prohibitory orders and declared holiday for schools and banks on Monday as a precautionary measure. The district administration also appointed duty magistrates to maintain law and order in the area.
The police in the neighbouring districts of Faridabad, Gurugram and Palwal too have stepped up security and made an appeal to the people to not get misled by the messages on social media platforms asking them to turn up for the religious procession with fake claims that permission for the event was granted.
