Haryana’s Nuh District Remains Volatile In the Wake of Junaid-Nasir Deaths

As the Haryana government issues temporary suspension of mobile services in Haryana’s Nuh district, residents have said there is no communal tension, and accused the government of trying to create chaos.

The Haryana government suspended mobile internet, SMS services and all dongle mobile internet services except voice calls in Nuh district on Sunday, February 26, two days after protests took place at the Ferozpur Jhirka area with demands for justice for Junaid and Nasir.

“The Haryana government has issued a temporary suspension of mobile internet services (2G/3G/4G/CDMA/GPRS), all SMS services (including bulk SMS and excluding banking and mobile recharge), and all dongle services etc., provided on mobile networks, except the voice calls in the territorial jurisdiction of District Nuh with immediate effect and will be in force with effect from February 26-28, 2023 (23:59 hrs),” said a government press release issued on Sunday.

Quoting an official spokesperson, the release explained that the temporary suspension was imposed to stop the spread of disinformation and rumours through various social media platforms, such as WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter, and SMS. There is also a heavy presence of police force in the area.

Meanwhile, Rajasthan officials have confirmed that the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) report has revealed the bodies found in the burnt bolero in Haryana’s Bhiwani are Junaid and Nasir’s.

An SUV, a Scorpio, was found at a Gaushala in Jind in Haryana, which the Rajasthan police said was used by the accused to abduct Junaid and Nasir. However, residents have claimed the government is trying to create fear among the people.

Speaking to The Citizen, Sajid, a resident of Nuh said that people are going about their day normally. “Shops and schools are open, while people are going about their day. The tensions are from the government’s side. All Hindus and Muslims are living here without any tension,” he said.

The people, however, are upset as Nuh Police registered an FIR against over 600 unidentified people for blocking the highway at Ferozepur Jhirka on Friday.

A large number of people from the Muslim community assembled at Ferozepur Jhirka Friday after Jumma Namaz, and protested against the government demanding immediate arrest of those responsible for the killing of Junaid and Nasir, including Bajrang Dal leader Monu Manesar.

The protesters blocked the Gurgaon-Alwar national highway and gave a memorandum to the local sub-divisional magistrate.

Demanding immediate arrest of the killers, the protesters demanded a judicial inquiry in all such killings, so far, in the Mewat area. They also demanded trial of the accused in a fast-track court to provide speedy justice to the affected families, financial help, felicitation, and a government job each for the families of the victims.

“Instead of arresting the real preparators like Monu Manesar, they are attacking Muslims who were merely demanding justice for Junaid and Nasir,” Akram Khan, a social activist from Haryana’s Palwal and has been helping out the family told The Citizen.

Meanwhile, the lack of any concrete action from the Rajasthan government has left the people disappointed. Junaid and Nasir’s family have been sitting in protest for 11 days, at the victims’ gravesite.

A relative of Junaid said that the Rajasthan government has been trying to silence them. “Notices against the protest have only confirmed this,” he added.

Meanwhile, people were seen protesting against the notices received by the protesters on Monday in different villages of Rajasthan’s Bharatpur. “The administration was trying very hard to somehow end the demonstration but people were determined,” an activist on ground told The Citizen.

The Citizen tried to reach Imran Pratapgarhi, Congress’ Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha, who had also visited Junaid’s house and asked him about the people’s disappointment with Congress' silence in the matter, but received no reply.

The Congress-run Rajasthan government is being criticised for not taking appropriate actions and also trying to suppress the protests demanding justice for the men.

According to reports, the day after the news of Junaid and Nasir’s killing was reported, Zahida Khan, Rajasthan’s education minister and MLA from Bharatpur’s Kaman constituency reached Ghatmeeka and met the families of the deceased.

Talks of compensation were discussed with the panchayat, after which the MLA announced a compensation of Rs 20.5 lakh each for both families.

This, however, brought out comparisons with the recent killing of Kanhaiya Lal in Udaipur by two Muslim extremists, after which CM Ashok Gehlot announced a compensation of Rs 50 lakh for the family.

There are also allegations that Khan is trying to stop the protests as the state will face elections this year.

Taking a jibe at the opposition, Manoj Jha, Member of Parliament in Rajya Sabha and leader of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) said that all political parties need to support the victims.

“In Bharatpur political parties are not taking (victim) names. Say their names Nasir-Junaid. Why are you fearful of taking their names? It will not matter if you think you can keep quiet and support a soft version of Hindutva. What will happen? You will lose one more election, but at least we will not lose the nation. At least we will be able to say that a certain percentage of people do not support this kind of politics,” he said during an event at Press Club of India, Delhi on Monday.

However, Congress’ leader Salman Khurshid and social activist Yogendra Yadav, refused to speak to the media.

Rajasthan will be witnessing elections this year. “If this continues, things will be difficult for Congress in Rajasthan,” a closely associated political analyst, on condition of anonymity, told The Citizenm adding, “Gehlot is at a tight spot and post Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, no statements have been given out by him.”

While introducing an anti-lynching law in the Rajasthan Assembly in 2019, then Parliamentary Affairs Minister Shanti Dhariwal had told the House that “after 2014, 86 percent cases of mob lynching reported in the country happened in Rajasthan.”

With the Haryana government trying to stop all sorts of protests, and the Rajasthan government has not been able to keep up with its promises, while the families of victims said they continue to suffer.