Hindu devotee narrates ordeal of Islamist attack in Nuh to OpIndia

In the aftermath of the Islamist attack on Hindu devotees and Shobha Yatra in Mewat’s Nuh region, shocking details have emerged pointing to the pre-planned nature of the attack and the readiness of the mob to trap and kill Hindus.

OpIndia spoke to a VHP member and one of the victims of the violence, who shared stark details of how Islamists had planned to trap Hindus and finish them off in the dead of night.

“The attack on us was preplanned. They (Islamists) were waiting for Hindus to reach the temple. As soon as most Hindus had reached the spot and began proceeding towards the temple, they started attacking the remaining ones who were beginning to march towards Ferozepur Jhirka,” one of the eyewitnesses of the attack narrated.

Another Hindu describes how they had come under attack by Islamists in Nuh, Mewat. They were trying to attack Hindus in groups so they can “finish them” after trapping them during the night, he says. Says the attack was pre planned with ammo that can’t be arranged even in 2 days. pic.twitter.com/KBN31ir67V

— Nupur J Sharma (@UnSubtleDesi) August 1, 2023

“During that time, we received a call that Islamists had started attacking the devotees. When we reached the spot, the vehicle we had travelled in was under attack, with shots fired at its glasses and stones pelted at it. We saw our Hindu brothers lying on the road injured. Just then, a mob of 50-60 assailants from a narrow alleyway across the road started pelting stones at us,” the Hindu devotee said.

The stone pelting was followed by intense rounds of firing, the Hindu devotee said, asserting that more than 200-250 rounds were fired at them by the Islamists in Nuh.

“The attackers had walls of houses to hide, but we were all scrambling for our dear lives in the open ground. We were sitting ducks for them as they fired rounds after rounds of bullets at us. I saw many among us getting injured in the violent onslaught, some being tied to vehicles and burnt alive,” he added.

The eyewitness stated that there were no police officials to protect them, and the Hindus were left to fend for themselves. He said from 1 pm to 6 pm, Hindus warded off the relentless attack by the Islamists.

“We are unarmed while the other side was armed to the teeth. They were continuously firing at us. Over 200 armed men came out from the nearby mosque, raining bullets at us. We were somehow trying to protect our vehicles so that we could safely return to our homes, but when we stepped back in the face of relentless firing, they torched our vehicles, buses, and other cars present on the road,” he explained, giving a first-hand account of the violence that triggered unrest in Haryana’s Nuh.

He also added that the assailants had attacked Hindus while they were in the temple. The Islamists had surrounded the temple from neighbouring hilltops and started firing at the Hindus, the Hindu devotee said. “Their entire plan was to somehow trap Hindus in the temple for the night and finish them off.”

When asked if he thinks the attack was preplanned, the Hindu devotee replied, “It was indeed preplanned. From their preparations, it did not appear like the spur-of-the-moment eruption of violence but a carefully planned, well-thought-out conspiracy to trap Hindus and kill them. 15-year-old boys were sitting on their knees and firing at us.”

Mewat Shobha Yatra attack

On Monday, violence broke out in Haryana’s Nuh district during the ‘Brij Mandal Jalabhishek Yatra,’ which was organized by Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal. The death toll from the clashes has now reached 5, including two personnel from the Haryana home guard. The deputy commissioner urged people to stay indoors, venture outside only for essential tasks, and disregard any circulating rumours.

Vehicles were burnt and stones pelted at the Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s Jalabhishek Yatra as clashes erupted between two communities in the Muslim-majority region of Mewat in Haryana.

“Religious Brajmandal Yatra” organized annually by Bajrang Dal, Islamic Jihadis pelted heavy stones, violence, arson and direct bullets from the hills on the pilgrims on the ancient “Religious Yatra” of Nallahad Shiv Temple, the centre of faith and reverence of Hindus in Nuh, Mewat. In which hundreds of vehicles were damaged and burnt to ashes,” said a statement shared by Bajrang Dal on Twitter.