Nuh: 1208 buildings and other structures were demolished in one district, 11 towns, and hamlets which are overwhelmingly Muslim-owned, revealing the demolition track record of the Haryana government in Nuh district following communal violence in the region that killed six and injured 88.
The numbers were separately confirmed by people directly knowledge of the matter and the numbers could likely be higher if the matter would not have reached the Punjab & Haryana High Court on August 7. The court had asked the state if it was indulging in ethnic cleansing given the one-sidedness of demolitions before staying them.
Official data reveals that the demolished properties were spread across the cities and villages of Nuh, Nalhar, Punhana, Tauru, Nangal Mubarakpur, Aagon, Adbar Chowk, Shahpur, Tiranga Chowk and Nagina.
Over 50 panchayats in three districts; Rewari, Mahendergarh, and Jhajjar have issued letters prohibiting the entry of Muslim traders following the clashes. The letters have been signed by the panchayat sarpanches and also state that Muslims living in these areas must supply their identification documents to the police.
Sub Divisional Magistrate of Narnaul, Manoj Kumar said that such letters are against the law. “The minority community does not even constitute 2 per cent of the population in these villages. Everyone lives in harmony and such a notice will only disrupt that”, he further added. While social media claims that these have been submitted to their respective sib-divisional magistrates, no such matter has reached the SDMs so far.