Haryana on alert, yatra not permitted: Khattar

Twelve teams of paramilitary forces and 27 police teams have been deployed to monitor ground situation, officials said

- Leena Dhankhar

 

Hundreds of police personnel swamped Haryana's strife-torn Nuh district on Sunday, checking entry and exit points to the National Capital Region (NCR), clamping prohibitory orders and shutting schools and colleges as the communally sensitive region braced for the controversial re-run of a yatra that sparked violence four weeks ago.

Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar said the government urged the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) - the organisers of the Brij Mandal Jal Abhishek Yatra - to not take out the rally and the local administration denied them permission. The first iteration of the yatra on July 31 triggered sectarian clashes between Hindu and Muslim groups, killing six people and injuring another 88 in violence that spanned two days and singed the fringes of the Capital.

Police in Gurugram briefly detained two VHP leaders for questioning on Sunday, even as officials said that all district borders were sealed, and all sensitive areas, including religious places, turned into virtual fortresses.

"We will not allow anyone to enter the district if they are not residents of Nuh. Our teams have started checking all IDs and turned away those carrying IDs of Gurugram, Faridabad and Palwal," said Narender Bijarnia, Nuh superintendent of police.

"We are conducting surveillance through drones and CCTV cameras," he said.

Dhirendra Khadgata, Nuh deputy commissioner, said that prohibitory orders were continued on media and attempts to mobilise crowds," he said, adding that more forces were kept on stand-by in neighbouring districts.

But the VHP and other organisers remained adamant.