Communal clashes near India’s capital ahead of G20 summit
With India still reeling from the unabated ethnic violence in the remote state of Manipur, in the country's northeast, tensions have now broken out in Haryana state, bordering the national capital New Delhi. Communal clashes erupted in the Muslim-majority Nuh district earlier this week over a Hindu religious procession organized by right-wing groups.
While normalcy is gradually returning to the riot-hit parts of the state, the clashes have drawn attention outside India – particularly in the US – in view of the upcoming G20 leadership summit that will be held in New Delhi in September. During a US State Department briefing on Wednesday, spokesperson Matthew Miller urged the parties to refrain from violence.
The Indian Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson noted on Thursday that the local authorities were “trying to restore normalcy in the riot-affected areas.”
On Thursday, a prohibitory order imposed earlier this week was lifted in Nuh, the epicenter of the violence. Internet services, which have been suspended in the Nuh, Faridabad, and Palwal districts, and some parts of the Gurugram district, until August 5 to maintain public order, were also partially relaxed. Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij, who ordered a probe into the riots on Tuesday, described the incident as a “mastermind plan” and “a premeditated conspiracy” without naming the perpetrators.
The Haryana police have claimed that six people have died, including a Muslim cleric and two civil defense personnel. Dozens were left wounded and property worth millions of rupees was destroyed in the violence, forcing many Muslims to flee to safer locations, including neighboring Delhi, according to media reports.
So far, over 40 individuals have been charged with rioting, arson, and vandalism and more than 100 have been detained for questioning, the police said.
The trouble initially broke out in the Nuh district, which has a Muslim majority of around 80% as per the 2011 census, during a procession that was organized by the Hindu right-wing organizations Vishva Hindu, Parishad, and the Bajrang Dal. The outfits are known for espousing a pro-Hindu ideology, similar to that of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. The procession has been held annually since 2021.
By Tuesday, the clashes had spread to Gurugram, a city 30km south of the national capital and a financial and IT hub housing numerous multinational companies, including Google, Amazon, E&Y, Genpact, Accenture, and Nokia.
Tensions rose following swirling rumors that a right-wing activist named Monu Maneser, a Bajrang Dal member and a self-professed cow vigilante, would also take part in the procession. Manesar is accused of killing two cousins, Junaid and Nasir, on suspicion that they were involved in cow smuggling. Their charred bodies were found inside a car in Haryana’s Bhiwani district in February.
The state administration swung into action after a mosque was set on fire in Gurugram and a Muslim cleric was killed. Prohibitory orders were imposed in some parts of the state amid a blame game between the opposition and the Haryana government, the echoes of which could be felt in the ongoing Monsoon session of Parliament, which is already being disrupted over the months-long ethnic violence in the remote northeastern state of Manipur.
On Wednesday, Indian Chief Justice Dhananjaya Yeshwant Chandrachud took suo motu cognizance of the communal clashes and ordered an urgent hearing for a petition on the Haryana riots. The Supreme Court directed both the Haryana and federal governments to prevent any hate speech or violence during marches held by right-wing Hindu organizations.
