With the upcoming 2024 general elections approaching, we see several tactics being employed by the ruling party to remain in power. The Sangh Parivar using mob violence in order to gain control over a particular territory is not a new phenomenon. It is seen time and again throughout history, be it in Gujarat in 2002 or in Delhi in 2020. One such recent incident was the wave of communal violence that unfolded in Nuh and Gurugram, two neighbouring districts in Haryana. A large-scale armed religious procession, “Brij Mandal Yatra”, was organized by the Bajrang Dal, Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Sangh Parivar, which was preceded by various campaigns and slogans calling for the eradication of Muslims, spreading their classic “Hindu khatre mein hai” narrative.
Monu Manesar, a right-wing cow vigilante, played a huge role in instigating violence and terrorizing people by putting up provocative videos, ensuring his presence in the Yatra two days before it on social media. He is infamous for mob violence and hate speech and was involved in the burning of two young Muslim men Junaid and Nasir alive earlier this year. A few hours before the violence, the General Secretary of VHP, Surendra Jain unabashedly called for a horrifying “ethnic-cleansing” by demanding a change in the demography of Mewat, a Muslim-populated area. The resentment by these calls for violence was too strong for the locals of Nuh to ignore and they gathered to resist the Yatra as they reached Nuh. The anger and violence that followed left at least 60 people injured, and 750 homes and shops demolished, most of them belonging to Muslims. The violence was not confined and soon spilt over into parts of Gurugram where 60 Muslim shops were vandalised and set ablaze by right-wing goons. In Badshahpur Chowk, 14 Muslim families fled their homes overnight and in Sector 57, the Anjuman Jama Masjid was burnt and its Imam was killed. Over 200 working-class migrant Muslim families hailing from West Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand were forced to leave their homes in Sector 70. “They are threatening to kill us and set our homes on fire if we don’t leave”, said a Muslim domestic worker, expressing her
desperation and agony. Shops and mosques in Sohna Chowk and Sector 66 were also attacked in a continuous onslaught by a large right-wing mob. Buildings of Muslims were being burnt and bulldozed under the guise of “law and order”, with no prior notice, on suspicion of being involved in stone-pelting.
The media also played a huge role in the portrayal of the violence as an attack on Hindus, giving the whole episode a false narrative. Locals agree that biased saffron journalism is what has worsened the situation to a great extent, adding fuel to the fire.
A ban on bulldozing was imposed by the Punjab and Haryana HC, after which BJP MLA Sanjay Singh reassured the Hindu crowd that the ban was temporary and would be lifted soon, legalizing the communal riots and ethnic cleansing of Haryana.
Despite receiving information about the presence of goons in the armed procession, the police didn’t take any preventive action, and their presence at the sites of violence was minimal as well, indicating their criminal collusion with the perpetrators. Upon enquiry, the SHO of Badshahpur denied that Muslim migrants were being threatened to leave their homes. He also claimed that the policemen were taking shifts and patrolling the areas till 3 in the morning. But the residents say otherwise, that they haven’t spotted any police force there. Home Minister Anil Vijj can be seen defending open right-wing goons like Monu Manesar. The justice system has failed to address criminals like Monu Manesar, even though he has posted multiple videos of him chasing vehicles, wielding guns and thrashing people from minority communities in the name of cow protection. It is through this passive support of the authority that criminals like him gain such impunity.
It is evident that the BJP government led by Manohar Khattar is not just inefficient in maintaining law and order but is in fact fueling the saffron hooliganism. This should be viewed as one of the many attempts by the BJP to capitalize on mob violence in order to further its divisive identity politics and gain votes in the upcoming elections. It is crucial to understand the nature of these incidents. In Bhagat Singh’s words, “To prevent people from fighting each other, “class consciousness” is the need of the day. The poor labourers and the farmers must be clearly taught that their real enemies are the capitalists. So, you should be careful of their tricks and should not follow them blindly.”
The oppressed classes should not fall prey to these divisive tactics aimed to divert them, and instead take up real economic issues and unite to fight against their common oppressors.
