Haryana: Demolition Drive In Nuh Continues, Hotel Used To Store Stones To Attack Religious Procession Razed

For the fourth day straight, the demolition drive continued in Haryana's Nuh on Sunday. The drive began after the communal violence in the region. 

Several structures, including a hotel allegedly used to store stones to attack the religious procession in Nuh, were razed by the government on Sunday. 

Earlier, "illegal" structures in the 2.6 acre of land around the Nalhar Medical College in Nuh was cleared on Saturday and several houses were similarly demolished on Friday. On Thursday, shanties of "illegal" immigrants were demolished in Tauru, Nuh. 

Violence erupted in Nuh on Monday when a religious procession of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) came under attack. The procession was attacked with stones and bullets were also allegedly fired. Five people died in the violence in the Nuh, including two Home Guard personnel. The violence spread to Gurugram where mosques and shops were attacked. A Muslim cleric died in the violence in Gurugram. 

Demolition drive in Nuh on Sunday

The district administration continued with the demolition drive in Haryana's Nuh for the fourth day straight on Sunday. 

A total of 16 "illegal" structures had been identified in the district to be demolished, reported PTI.

Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Ashwani Kumar said these structures were built illegally were used by "hooligans" to throw stones during the recent violence, reported PTI.

Hotel demolished, owner denies connection to violence

A hotel, identified as Sahara Hotel, that was allegedly used to throw stones at the Hindu organisation's religious procession was also razed on Sunday. 

The authorities stated that the violence in Nuh began on Monday when some individuals threw stones from the roof of the Sahara Hotel at a religious procession, reported India Today. The owner of the hotel, however, said he had run the place for nine years and the hotel was shut as soon as the violence began. 

The owner, Jamshed, also told India Today that the video being attributed to his hotel is actually from a place in Sohna, not Nuh.

He said, "The video of the hotel shown by the administration does not belong to me. It is in Sohna. I have shown the footage but no one listened to us. I have been running this restaurant for the last nine years on rent. The administration is doing injustice. When clashes broke out in Nuh, I asked my workers to close the restaurant. My staff and I went to a colony located behind us."

As the VHP's religions procession came under attack, people in the procession took shelter at a temple in Nuh. There they were stranded for several hours until they were rescued by the police. From the surrounding hillocks, the attackers allegedly pelted stones and fired bullets. 

"When NDTV visited the temple, about 7 km from Nuh town, the Aravallis surrounding the temple looked scenic. Hours before, rioters gathered on these hillocks had fired shots and thrown stones as those inside the temple cowered into corners, hoping to survive those hours of horror," reported NDTV earlier. 

216 arrested, 104 cases filed so far

So far, a total of 216 people have have been arrested and 104 cases have been filed related to the Haryana communal violence that began in Nuh but spread to Gurugram, according to India Today. 

Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij has said that there appears to be a "big game plan" in the violence and has hinted that it appears to the government as pre-planned. 

"It is a big game plan... every person had a lathi in his hand. Were these being distributed for free? Someone must have arranged these. Bullets were being fired. From where did weapons come? We will go to the depth of the matter," said Vij