Hindu pilgrims were attacked by stone-pelters raising slogans of “Allahu Akbar”, while they were returning from a pilgrimage to Lord Shiva’s temple in Nuh district, Haryana, on Monday. The incident took place near the village of Khera Khalilpur, where a group of people allegedly belonging to the Muslim community started pelting stones at the vehicles carrying the Hindu pilgrims.
According to the Bajrang Dal’s Nuh district president, Rajesh Kumar, the Muslim attackers also fired gunshots at them and tried to stop their vehicles. He claimed that the attack was pre-planned and motivated by communal hatred. He said that they had gone to the temple with permission from the authorities and had followed all the Covid-19 protocols.
“We were returning peacefully after offering prayers at the temple when we were attacked by a mob of around 200 Islamic radicals. They threw stones and bricks at our vehicles and also fired at us. Some of our members were injured in the attack. We managed to escape and reached the police station to file a complaint,” Kumar said.
He also alleged that the police did not take any action against the attackers and instead tried to pacify them. He demanded that the culprits be arrested and punished for their crime.
The police have registered a case under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Arms Act against unknown persons and are investigating the matter. The police have also deployed additional forces in the area to prevent any further violence.
It was reported that several devotees were stuck at various locations including Nuh temples, chowk, and near the police station after the Islamic mob raising slogans of “Allahu Akbar” attacked the Yatra in a planned attack. Following the violence, VHP president Alok Kumar had urged the police and administration to quickly rescue the devotees stressing that the yatra is an annual affair and this year it was targeted in a planned and organised manner.