Nuh Shobha Yatra: Bajrang Dal leaders detained in Jind, Fatehabad

The district administration in Sonepat has imposed Section 144 and heavy security arrangements put in place in entire district after the Sarv Jatiya Hindu Mahapanchayat called for a ‘Shobha Yatra’ on Monday in Nuh district despite chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar denying permission for the procession.

B Satheesh Balan, police commissioner, Sonepat, said heavy security arrangements have been made in the entire district and Section 144 has been imposed.

“We have appealed to people to maintain peace and brotherhood. We will not allow anyone to create disturbance in the district. Police personnel have been deployed in temples, mosques and other religious places,” he added.

The police commissioner further said that they will not allow anyone to carry out any yatra in the district.

“Devotees are visiting temples, and we are keeping a vigil on the movement of suspected persons. We have appealed to religious leaders to maintain harmony,” Balan added.

In Jind, the police have detained Bajrang Dal leader Harish Ramkali when he was all set to leave his house to take part in shobha yatra in Nuh. Police kept him in house arrest for hours. Hindu outfit workers also took out a procession in Jind and they gave their symbolic arrest and, in the evening, police released them. However, in Hisar, the right-wing workers offered prayers in temples. In Fatehabad, police detained five Bajrang Dal leaders when they were heading towards Nuh in the morning hours.

Police prevent Hindu outfit leaders from joining yatra

As a precautionary measure, the Panipat police on Monday prevented around 40 members of Hindu outfits from joining the “shobha yatra” in Nuh district. As per information, hundreds of people from Panipat were planning to leave for Nuh in buses to join the yatra but the police contacted their leaders and around 40 people were contacted by the police, and they were asked not to join the yatra as there was no permission for it.

Later, the members of the Hindu wings assembled at the Shiv Chowk where they were scheduled to pay tributes to 24-year-old Abhishek of Panipat who was killed in the communal violence in Nuh on July 31. The organisers slammed chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar for not giving permission for the shobha yatra in Nuh. Family members of Abhishek also slammed the government for not announcing assistance to the aggrieved family.

Panipat DSP Suresh Kumar reached to pacify them and said the police deployment and barricading has been done for the smooth passages of traffic and avoid any untoward incident.

Panipat Superintendent of Police Ajit Singh Shekhawat said that around 40 people were contacted by the police, and they were urged not to leave for Nuh as there was no permission for the Yatra. Meanwhile, the police have been deployed at Shiv Chowk where they have given a call for worship.

Right wing leader Shandilya under ’house arrest’

Minutes before he could leave for Nuh to take part in “Jal Abhishek”, Ambala Police on Monday detained Vishwa Hindu Takht chief Viresh Shandilya.

SP Jashandeep Singh Randhawa said that he has been kept under “house arrest” at his residence in Sector 1.

Shandilya was set to leave with a group of his supporters after visiting historical Hathikhana Temple in Ambala Cantonment to attend the ritual at Nalhar Shiv Temple in Nuh on the last Monday of the holy savaan month.