The scale of violence in Haryana's Nuh has sparked many questions
The scale of violence in Haryana's Nuh has sparked many questions about the police and administration's failure to anticipate the tension, especially as the region has a history of conflict. Given the area's distinctive social ethos, along with its poor performance on social indicators and record of crime, officials are being criticised for their lack of preparedness, resources and intelligence, despite giant red flags.
Low on Social indicators, High on Crime
Located just 57 km from Gurugram - the "Singapore" of India and a start-up hub - and barely a three-hour drive from Delhi, Nuh is one of the most backward regions in the country. The latest National Family Health Survey data has revealed that only 51 percent of women in Nuh are educated and the district is the poorest in northern India, after Bharatpur in Rajasthan.
Nuh has the highest number of girls in Haryana marrying early; a third of its girls are married before they turn 18. Family planning, child immunisation, the nutrition of women and children, and maternal and child health have been cited as major challenges in the area, according to Bashir Chaudhary, who runs an NGO here. According to the National Family Health Survey, only 15.5% people in Nuh practise family planning, with just 2.6% using condoms. According to a 2015 NITI Aayog report, limited employment opportunities, illiteracy, lack of facilities for skill development and the non-remunerative nature of farm labour in Nuh resulted in a situation where only 27 per cent of the district's employable population was engaged in work.
Nuh ranks 14th among 640 districts in India when it comes to its Muslim population, and is the largest Muslim-dominated district in Haryana.
The ruling BJP has placed Nuh in the list of aspirational (backward) districts, but the district was on the radar of the Congress-led UPA government too.
In 2008, Nuh was one of the 90 districts selected for a Multi-Sectoral Development Programme, a response to the findings of the Sachar Committee that there were inequalities in education, employment and earnings between Indian Muslims and other groups.
Although the numbers have been looking up for Nuh in the last few years, Narender Bindal, a Haryana-based doctor, pointed out that when Covid struck in March 2020, Nuh accounted for more than a fourth of Haryana's active cases for two months. "Officials were concerned that with the twin handicaps of the lowest literacy rate in the state and extremely poor health infrastructure, the district will be inundated with cases. But consistent public outreach campaigns helped in keeping the number of cases in check," he said.
Nuh ranks high on crime, but none of its clashes in the last five years have been classified as a communal riot. There are, however, many incidents related to cow vigilantism. A vast network of Gaurakshaks or cow vigilantes is known to operate here; traditionally, the region is home to many pastoral communities who revere the cow. Nuh accounts for around three-fourth of all cow smuggling cases in Haryana.
Police data shows that on average, Nuh accounts for 15 cases every month under the Haryana Gauvansh Sanrakshan and Gausamvardhan (HGSG) Act that bans cow slaughter and consumption of beef.
The recent killings of Waris Khan, and of cattle traders Junaid and Nasir, have drawn attention to the presence of cow vigilante networks in the region, specifically Monu Manesar, a prominent cow vigilante with sizeable influence.
Hub of Cybercrime
Nuh has, in the last three years, become a breeding ground for cybercrime, and is specifically known for cyber thugs that resort to crimes such as sextortion, fake work-from-home job offers, honey traps with fake profiles on social media platforms and posting advertisements with sales on different products. Recent Home Ministry data says that the Mewat region comprising Bharatpur and Alwar in Rajasthan, Mathura district in Uttar Pradesh and Nuh in Haryana, has replaced Jamtara in Jharkhand as India's newest hub for cybercriminals.
The National Crime Records Bureau data showed that 52,974 cases of cybercrimes were registered in 2021, an increase of 11.8% compared to the previous year. Nearly 12 percent of these crimes were reported from Nuh. The district's police recently said they had solved at least 28,000 cases of cyberfraud across the country worth Rs 100 crore.
Nuh's cybercriminals have swindled people from 35 states, depositing money in fake bank accounts to avoid suspicion, the police revealed.
Most of the 66 arrested after raids across 140 locations were between 18 and 35 years and were school dropouts, the police said two months ago.
A History Of Both Syncretism And Conflict
Nuh is the largest district of Mewat, which is a geographical and cultural zone more than a town. The Mewat region extends beyond Haryana and includes parts of neighbouring Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. The predominant community in the region, the Meo Muslims of Mewat, have a distinct identity, with many of their cultural practices in the past similar to those of Hindu communities like Gujjars, Jats, Meenas, and Ahirs. Largely converted from Rajput Hindus to Islam, the Meo Muslims have a caste structure that is influenced by their Hindu roots. Meo Muslims have gotras and khap panchayats just like Hindu communities. Many flaunt their love for the cow or their origins linked to Lord Krishna.
Between the 10th and 18th centuries, the Meo community went through a process of change under the influence of organisations such as the Tablighi Jamaat that stressed on Quranic teachings and following the practices of Islam without any cultural dilution.
Mr Chaudhary said despite that, many Meo Muslims have continued with cultural practices drawn from both religions.
"Particularly, there are figures such as Baba Laldas, revered by local communities, who sang praises of both Hindu deities and Islam. We have had heroes such as Hassan Khan Mewati, a close aide of Rana Sanga who laid down his life for him, fighting Babar. Even now there are villages that bear testimony to how our forefathers were hanged for rebelling against the British in 1857," he said.
Both Muslim and Hindu groups are active in the region and that adds to the fault lines. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has said that Nuh and Mewat are of huge significance to Hindus, tracing back to the time of the Pandavas (from the epic Mahabharata battle) and Lord Krishna.
Experts Question Police Inaction
Lack of coordination between the intelligence, police and the administration is being blamed for the Nuh riots. The police are facing scrutiny over their failure to detain troublemakers in time to defuse the situation. There are also concerns over the administration's apparent lack of awareness about mobilisation from various districts ahead of the religious yatra.
The yatra, which has been organised by the VHP in recent years, was publicised with a focus on revitalising Hindu sacred spots in the region.
Bhim Singh Singariya, a trader in Mewat, said it was time for the police to crack down on those who possessed illegal firearms, seize the weapons and try their owners per law.
Senior Haryana police officers suspect around 300 homemade pistols and revolvers were acquired from local gunrunners, allegedly intended for use during the clashes. Singariya stressed on the need to investigate this urgently.
This has also been recommended by retired IPS officer Prakash Singh, a crusader for police reforms, who was asked to lead a committee that looked into the state-wide violence during protests by the Jat community in 2016.
"...The police had forgotten that it is the strong arm of the state and that it is expected to use appropriate force when the authority of the state is challenged. Officers have started looking up to their political masters for directions even when law has given them specific powers," the report had said then, about the Haryana police, pushing for the need to augment the strength of the state police and achieve a strength of at least 200 policemen per lakh people.