The Haryana government on Saturday ordered suspension of mobile internet and ‘bulk SMS’ service till August 28 in Nuh district, which witnessed communal violence last month. The government has taken this decision in view of the call of Hindu organizations to take out ‘Shobhayatra’ once again. In view of the call for the yatra, Director General of Police (DGP) Shatrujit Kapoor chaired a meeting with senior officers of the bordering states through video conference and called for a coordinated effort to effectively deal with the situation.
G20 Sherpa Group meeting to be held in Nuh from 3-7 September
Senior police officers from Punjab, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Union Territory of Chandigarh attended the meeting. Shatrujeet Kapoor said that the administration has denied permission for the Yatra due to the G20 Sherpa Group meeting to be held in Nuh during September 3-7 and to maintain law and order after the July 31 violence. The state government issued the related order due to the possibility of anti-social elements spreading rumors through social media before or during the yatra to be held on Monday.
Denial of permission to organize religious pilgrimage on August 28
Nuh authorities had recently denied permission to organize the religious pilgrimage on 28 August. Earlier, due to communal violence on July 31, the procession was interrupted. The order to suspend mobile internet service was issued on Saturday by Additional Chief Secretary (Home) TVSN Prasad. Officials said that the district administration has also imposed Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure as a precautionary measure, under which the gathering of four or more people in an area has been banned. He said that this order will be effective till 26-28 August.
Licensed firearms, sticks etc. are not allowed to be carried
During this period, no person will be allowed to carry licensed firearms, sticks etc. The Haryana government had earlier also suspended mobile internet services in Nuh following communal violence. Communal violence had broken out in Nuh after a mob attacked a Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) ‘shobhayatra’ on July 31, killing six people, including two home guards and an imam. According to an official statement issued on Saturday, police chief Shatrujit Kapoor said that there is information that some organizations have invited people from Haryana and neighboring states to reach Nuh on August 28, despite not being allowed to travel.
All necessary arrangements made by Haryana Police
Shatrujit Kapoor said that all necessary arrangements have been made by the Haryana Police in view of the proposed yatra. He said police personnel have been deployed to maintain law and order and mobile internet has been suspended in Nuh as a precautionary measure. Emphasizing on the need for intelligence sharing to effectively deal with the situation, Kapoor asked senior police officials of the bordering states to ensure regular monitoring of social media and people trying to disturb peace through hate speeches. Asked to share information about and take action against them as per law.
He insisted that interstate barricading should also be done to prevent any kind of gathering of people. Kapoor said that no one would be allowed to take law in their hands. Kapoor said that Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Mamta Singh will be the nodal officer and will be posted in Nuh. He told the police officers of the border states that if any incident disturbing communal harmony comes to their notice, it should be shared at the right time so that preventive action can be taken in time.
The order issued by Prasad said, “This order has been issued to maintain peace and public order in the jurisdiction of Nuh district, which is from 12 noon on August 26 to 28 August at 11.59 pm.” Earlier on Friday, Nuh Deputy Commissioner Dhirendra Khargata had written a letter to the Additional Chief Secretary (Home) informing that the ‘Sarva Jatiya Hindu Mahapanchayat’ has called for ‘Brijamandal Shobhayatra’ to be held again on August 28 in the district. to be done.
Requesting to issue necessary instructions, the Deputy Commissioner wrote, “To avoid any untoward situation, it is necessary to stop all mobile internet and bulk SMS service in Nuh district.” Prasad. In its order issued on Saturday, said that mobile internet, bulk SMS (except banking and mobile recharge) are being temporarily closed. Apart from this, all dongle services provided on mobile networks, except voice calls, will also be temporarily closed.
The meeting chaired by Kapoor was attended by Additional Director General of Police (CID) Alok Mittal, Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Mamta Singh and Inspector General of Police (Law and Order) Sanjay Kumar. Punjab’s Special Director General of Police (Law and Order) Arpit Shukla, Rajasthan’s Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Anand Srivastava, Uttar Pradesh’s Additional Director General of Police (Agra) Anupam Kulshrestha, Delhi’s Joint Commissioner of Police Rajneesh Gupta, Special Commissioner of Police ( Law and Order, Zone 1) Dipendra Pathak, Special Commissioner of Police (Law and Order, Zone 2) Sagar Preet Hooda and Chandigarh Senior Superintendent of Police Kanwardeep Kaur participated in the meeting through video conference.