VHP to go ahead with 'Shobha Yatra' today in Haryana's Nuh; internet suspended, schools, banks shut

Heavy security arrangements are in place in violence-hit Nuh in Haryana for the shobha yatra called by the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) today.  As a precautionary measure, the administration has already ordered the closure of educational institutions and banks today, suspended mobile internet and bulk SMS services, and imposed prohibitory orders in the district.

With Hindu groups planning to go ahead with their “shobha yatra” in Haryana’s Nuh on Monday, despite the local government's refusal to grant them permission, security measures have been stepped up to to avoid untoward incidents. On August 13, the Sarv Jatiya Hindu Mahapanchayat gave a call to resume the Brij Mandal Shobha Yatra in Nuh on August 28, which is the last Monday of the holy month of Shravan.

The demand for the shobha yatra came after six persons lost their lives in riots that broke out after a crowd stormed the VHP's procession on July 31. The violence spread to neighbouring Gurugram for a few days. Altogether, six people were killed in the clashes.

The Haryana government has increased security in the area as a result of the resistance by stationing 1,900 members of the Haryana Police and 24 companies of paramilitary forces at interstate and inter-district boundaries. An assembly of four or more people has also been banned in the district that saw communal clashes in July. CCTV cameras have been installed in view of the VHP's call for the yatra.

Prohibitory orders have been enforced throughout the district as a precaution. Entry is prohibited from the outside, banks and educational institutions are shut down and bulk SMS and mobile internet services have been halted. An assembly of four or more people has also been banned in the district that saw communal clashes in July. 

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday asked devotees to offer prayers at temples in their neighbourhood on Monday instead of holding any yatra. Permission has not been granted for the 'yatra', he said.