Communal violence erupted in the Nuh district of Haryana, just 57 km from the bustling Millennium City on July 31, during a procession led by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Bajrang Dal. By evening, more such incidents came to light from neighbouring Gurugram and Sohna, another middle class haven.
The communal clashes claimed five lives, injured dozens, and property worth crores has been destroyed by the mobs. Consequently, security around mosques and temples has been beefed up.
The trigger for the violence is said to be a video featuring an infamous cow vigilante, Monu Manesar, who is wanted for murder and is an anti-Muslim violence monger.
Just as Manesar’s video went viral, some Mewati Muslim youth posted their own videos, warning the administration to disallow him in Mewat and demanding his arrest. Some even called for a protest against Manesar.
As expected, administrative anomalies were pointed out and comments of political leaders were highlighted.
Earlier this year, in February, the nation was shocked when charred skeletons of two men were discovered near Loharu police station in Haryana’s Bhiwani district. The dead were identified as Nasir and Junaid. Manesar’s gang was accused of killing them.
Few days prior to this twin murder, Manesar was linked to the mysterious death of a mechanic named Waris Khan.
In April 2022, at least four videos of mobs “attacking and torturing Muslim men” in Haryana had gone viral. They were shared on social media by Manesar.
Anti-Muslim hate mongering and violence have conspicuously increased in the region since the murder of gym trainer Asif Khan Mewati in May 2021.
Adding to the growing communal tensions, particularly in Nuh district, protests against cow vigilantism escalated after the murder of Nasir and Junaid.
Muslim citizens in the area have been demanding that the M.L. Khattar-led BJP-JJP state government stop such incidents by the likes of Manesar.
The Muslim-dominated Mewat region loosely extends from Alwar and Bharatpur in Rajasthan to parts of Haryana and some parts of western Uttar Pradesh. The Mewati Muslims, known as Meo Muslims, are known to be close to Hindus in their customs and practices.
In the recent past, though, Mewat has been in the headlines for the wrong reason as it has emerged as a hotbed of cybercrime and sextortion rackets.
A primary reason behind the rise of such crimes here is arguably its location, as the region is spread over three states, making it easy for criminals to escape the police by crossing over to another state.
Further, the absence of job opportunities in Mewat is propelling youth toward illegal activities.
The rampant unemployment and the socio-economic backwardness that Nuh is conspicuously marked by is not a recent phenomena.
In 2008, Nuh was among 90 districts selected for the Multi-Sectoral Development Programme (MSDP), an initiative in response to the findings of the Sachar Committee that brought to light the glaring inequalities in education, employment and earnings between Muslims and other demographic groups in the country.
According to a 2015 NITI Aayog report, limited employment options, illiteracy, lack of facilities for skill development and the non-remunerative nature of farm labour in Nuh led to a situation where only 27 per cent of the district’s employable population was engaged in work.
In April 2018, NITI Aayog named Mewat as the most backward district in India. Over the past decade, both BJP- and Congress-led governments allotted crores of funds on welfare programmes to “uplift” the district, but to no effect.
In the NITI Aayog report, 101 districts were assessed on 49 indicators of development such as health, education, agriculture, financial inclusion, skill development, and basic infrastructure. Nuh scored 26 per cent — the lowest in the country.
Funds adding up to Rs 4,043.61 lakh were sanctioned for Nuh under the 11th Five-Year Plan. The 12th Five-Year Plan (2012–17) approved Rs 6,531.90 lakh for the district under MSDP (renamed Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram under PM Narendra Modi).
Nuh has the highest number of girls in Haryana who marry before the legal age — one-third of the girls are married off before they turn 18. Family planning, child immunisation, nutrition among women and children, and maternal and child health are its major challenges.
Further, girls are prevented by their families from receiving education, and this has perpetuated Nuh’s socio-economic backwardness.
Distinguishing the district from the larger geographical area, Haryana’s Mewat district was renamed Nuh in 2016, just as Gurgaon got a new name: Gurugram.
What makes Gurugram what it is today is the pace of development that turned what was a cluster of villages into an iconic modern city, thriving as an IT and financial hub that reflects the grandeur that would not exist without education and impactful implementation of development measures.
Except in the monsoon season, when it battles with floods, Gurugram represents a developed Indian city, replete with glittering highrise office complexes, corporate parks, magnificent shopping complexes, and secure residential societies. But of course, Gurugram did not remain unaffected by the rent peace in its neighbourhood.
With the increased presence of police, the swanky malls and institutions and other areas may have the privilege of protection and an assurance of normality to the fear-stricken residents safer in their homes, but Muslim migrant workers sought to retreat out of fear for life and livelihood.
(Kavya Dubey may be reached at [email protected])
–Ajit Weekly News
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