Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij Call Violence Pre-Planned: 'Where Did So Many Cylinders Come From?'

Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij on Wednesday said the violence in the Muslim-dominated Nuh district, which claimed the lives of six people, was ‘pre-planned’, and asserted that the situation is under control now. He said orders have been given to officers for a thorough investigation, and so far over a hundred people have been arrested in connection with the violence from Nuh, Gurugram, Rewari, and Sohna.

Speaking to CNN News18, the Haryana Home Minister said 20 companies of Central forces and 23 companies of state police are stationed in the violence-hit areas.

“Situation is under control now. We have divided the area into eight sectors. There is a police station in each sector and an IPS officer is in charge there. Some IAS officers are also being called from Chandigarh to monitor the situation. We are investigating all available evidence including CCTV footage. So far, 41 FIR have been filed, and a total of 116 suspects have been arrested just from Nuh. Many others have been arrested from Gurugram, Rewari, and Sohna,” he said

When asked if the violence was the result of an intelligence failure, Vij asserted that right now, the government’s responsibility is to keep the situation under control.

“We will go by facts, we are looking for the mastermind. The kind of violence that was witnessed, from stone pelting to firing and arson, it can not have been a spontaneous event but a carefully orchestrated plan aimed at disrupting peace. We are investigating all facts from all angles,” he said.

Elaborating on why he believes the violence was pre-planned, Vij said, “According to me it was pre-planned otherwise from where did so many stones on roofs of houses, and cylinders come from? It was all ready. Violence like this does not spread like this all of a sudden. It boils over time. But this violence spread within hours, there was firing, and the police station was set on fire. where did ammunition come from? ”

The minister further said that the government will provide security to everyone and authorises are studying all social media posts related to the incident.

On the Opposition’s attack on the government, Vij said, “This is no time to do politics. We will reply to them later.”

Mobs on Tuesday killed a cleric in a late-night attack on a mosque, torched an eatery, and vandalised shops as communal violence that began in Haryana’s Nuh spilled over into neighbouring Gurugram, taking the death toll to five.

People also blocked a road and downed shutters over the attack on a Vishva Hindu Parishad procession in Nuh a day earlier, and a ‘panchayat’ targeted Muslims as the district adjoining the national capital remained on edge.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar called the Nuh attack a part of a larger conspiracy, while the VHP demanded a probe by the National Investigation Agency.