Nuh Communal Clashes: Cow Vigilante Bittu Bajrangi Granted Bail

The President of the Goraksha Bajrang Force, Bittu Bajrangi, was produced in court on August 17 and was sent to the Neemika jail of Faridabad district as part of a 14-day judicial custody. According to the Nuh Police, Bajrangi’s bail application was heard and subsequently granted on August 30, by Sandeep Kumar, first class of the court of judicial magistrate. Bajrangis's first bail application was dismissed as withdrawn vide order dated 25.08.2023. The accused again applied for regular bail under Section 439 of Code of Criminal Procedure. Bajrangi's counsel submitted that he had been falsely implicated in the present case, and was absent from District Nuh at the alleged time of the event, rather he was at District Faridabad wherein he was detained  for his social media post a case FIR No.413 of 2023 under Section 295 of Indian Penal Code, 1860, and had been granted bail in that case thereafter. The counsel further argued that the contested weapons were only 'religious symbols'. The alleged FIR pertianing to an incident of July 31 was registered after 15 days  on August 15, and so was contested as a  manipulated FIR by the counsel of the applicant-accused. 

"Conclusion of trial shall take sufficient time. In these circumstances, no purpose would be served by keeping the applicant further behind custody." the court observed and subsequently granted bail.  "The applicant- accused is hereby directed to stay away from giving public statement particularly on social media and he shall also not visit at District Nuh without prior permission of Superintendent of Police, Nuh." the court ordered. The applicant-accused has also been directed to " furnish personal bonds in the sum of Rs.50,000/- with one local surety in the like amount, to the satisfaction of Learned Illaqa/Duty Magistrate." 

Bajrangj alias Raj Kumar was arrested on August 15, following an FIR registered against him at Nuh’s Sadar Police Station, on the complaint of Assistant Superintendent of Police Usha Kundu. The FIR stated that Bajrangi, along with some of his unidentified supporters, was identified through social media posts and had also allegedly misbehaved with and threatened an ASP Kundu-led police team. The Police team had attempted to stop the group from carrying swords and ‘trishuls’ to Nalhar temple. ASP Kundu added that the mob started sloganeering against the police, manhandled them and even snatched back their weapons from police vans, when challenged to stop. 

The Bajrang Dal member was first detained by the Crime Investigation Agency team of Tauru for questioning, said the Police. Bajrangi was arrested by Faridabad Police for allegedly making inflammatory speeches and brandishing weapons, donning a saffron attire, in public on August 1, the day following the communal clashes in Nuh. However, the Vishva Hindu Parishad had issued a statement that deprived Bajrangi of any relations with Bajrang Dal, or other VHP-linked organisations. 

The communal clashes in Nuh witnessed 6 deaths, torched mosques and vandalised shops. A total of 116 people were arrested and 90 detained in connection with the violence. 60 FIRs have since been registered, and 305 people arrested.