Though the embers of communal violence in Nuh are dying down, questions are being raised by some politicians about why people belonging to a certain community are being arrested. With police verifying the veracity of several videos that were circulated before and after the riots, police action is now being looked at through the prism of religion. Congress MLA from Mewat Chaudhary Aftab Ahmed and some others have alleged that only Muslims are being arrested, and they claim that most of those arrested are innocent. Videos are being shown to claim there was firing from both sides. There is another video of a female Additional DGP of Haryana Police Mamta Singh providing cover to Hindu devotees and saving their lives in the darkness by taking them through the fields. Another video of Monu Manesar, the cow vigilante now in hiding, shows him as claiming he never threatened anybody before the VHP yatra took place. The moot point is that both sides are trying to prove that there was firing from both sides. It is also a fact that both Hindus and Muslims have died, but the worrying part is that in Nuh, rioters asked the names of victims and then proceeded to kill them. A Hindu youth working in a Muslim ‘halwai’ (sweetmeat) shop for years had nothing to do with violence, but he was killed only because of his religion. Similarly, a young Home Guard named Neeraj was killed. His first name was a Hindu one, but his full name was Neeraj Khan. He was a Muslim. The rioters mistakenly killed him thinking he was a Hindu. Neeraj Khan’s body was buried on Thursday. First Information Reports and other videos do show how people of both communities attacked each other, but there is another side to the coin. Muslims constitute 80 per cent of the population in Nuh, and yet a Muslim family saved a Hindu family during the riots. The family was kept hidden in the house of a Muslim, and Muslim boys of the family stood outside to guard them. In another incident, a policeman injured in stoning, was provided treatment by a Muslim family. These are not stray incidents. There are many such Muslim families in Nuh who saved Hindus. Similarly, in Gurugram, there were Hindu families who provided shelter to Muslims. There were Hindu youths who prevented the arsonists from setting fire to Muslim shops. While speaking about communal violence, one should not overlook the bonds of humanity that exist between both the communities.One should not forget the angels who saved the lives of innocent people. The most important point I want to stress is that provocative videos circulating in social media were at the root of violence. Fake rumours circulated on social media by anti-social elements provoked people, there were conspiracies and homes, shops and vehicles were set on fire. The fire of hatred spread so far and wide that it was difficult to douse them immediately. Muslims were provoked on social media with rumours that Monu Manesar, wanted for the grisly killing of two Muslims, Nasir and Junaid, would be coming to Nuh with the VHP yatra. There were calls for taking revenge. These rumours were full of half-truths. Muslims were instigated through social media that those participating in the Shobha Yatra (procession) will come with weapons to attack Muslims. Even today, rumours continue to circulate. Had the rumours not spread so fast, the situation would not have deteriorated. The videos that I showed in my show on Thursday night are evidence of the manner in which rumours were being circulated and people were being provoked. I would appeal to all not to blindly trust viral videos, avoid watching provocative videos, and learn from those Hindu and Muslim families, who took risks in saving the lives of people from other community.
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