A “shobha yatra” has been called for, therefore the Haryana government on August 26 ordered the suspension of mobile Internet and bulk SMS services in the divisive Nuh district till August 28. Shatrujeet Kapur, director-general of police, presided over a meeting with top officials from bordering states via videoconference in response to the yatra call, and he asked for a coordinated effort to successfully handle the crisis. Senior police officers from Punjab, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and the Union Territory of Chandigarh were present at the meeting. Kapur stated that the administration had denied permission for the yatra due to a G20 Sherpa Group meeting that was scheduled to take place in Nuh from September 3–7 and to maintain law and order following the violence on July 31.
In response to concerns that rumors would circulate during or before Monday’s march on social media, the authorities decided to block mobile Internet from August 26 to August 28. After a previous procession in July was disrupted due to intercommunal violence, the Nuh authorities recently rejected permission to hold the religious march on August 28. On Saturday, Additional Chief Secretary (Home) TVSN Prasad issued the directive to halt mobile Internet. Section 144 of the CrPC, which forbids gatherings of four or more people in one place, has also been implemented by the district administration as a precaution. According to officials, this decree is in force from August 26 to August 28. No one will be permitted to carry any weapons during this time, including legally owned rifles, lathis, axes, and others. After communal riots erupted, the Haryana government had put an end to mobile Internet service in Nuh.
The rioting that broke out in Nuh on July 31 after a mob attacked a Vishva Hindu Parishad religious procession resulted in the deaths of six persons, including two house guards and a cleric. In a statement released on August 26, police chief Kapur noted that although the yatra’s request for permission had been denied, there were rumors that certain groups had invited people from Haryana and other states to travel to Nuh on August 28. According to him, the Haryana Police have made all required preparations for the intended yatra. To keep everything lawful and orderly, police have been sent out. Mobile Internet has been turned off in Nuh as a preventative precaution. Kapur asked the senior police officials of bordering states to ensure routine monitoring of social media and share information about the people who try to disrupt peace through hate speeches and take action against them in accordance with the law, all the while emphasizing the need for sharing intelligence inputs to effectively deal with the situation. He claimed that interstate barricading should be carried out in order to stop any sort of mass mobilization of people. No one shall be permitted to impose their own laws. The nodal official will be Mamta Singh, Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order), who will be based in Nuh, according to Kapur.
In order for timely preventive action to be done, he requested that police officers from neighboring states share any incidence that threatens communal harmony with one another when it comes to their knowledge. The order by Prasad that prohibited the use of mobile Internet stated that it was “issued to prevent disturbance of peace and public order in the jurisdiction of district Nuh and shall be in force with effect from August 26, 1200 hours, to August 28, 2359 hours.” In a letter to Prasad dated August 25, Nuh Deputy Commissioner Dhirendra Khadgata informed him that the Sarv Jatiya Hindu Mahapanchayat had requested a Brij Mandal Shoba Yatra in the district on August 28. He claimed in the letter that there is concern that unsavory individuals may utilize social media and bulk messaging to agitate the tranquility.
Therefore, Khadgata said, “it is necessary to suspend all mobile Internet and bulk SMS services in Nuh district to avoid any untoward situation.” He asked Prasad to give the appropriate instructions. According to Prasad’s decision from August 26, the Internet’s ability to spread rumors and incendiary content presents a clear risk of disrupting public utilities, causing harm to public property and amenities, and upsetting public law and order in Nuh. In addition to voice conversations, he ordered the temporary suspension of all mobile Internet services (2G, 3G, 4G, 5G, CDMA, GPRS), bulk SMS (apart from banking and cell recharging), and any dongle services offered over mobile networks. The meeting was presided over by Kapur, and in attendance were Inspector General of Police (Law and Order) Sanjay Kumar, Additional Director General of Police (CID) Alok Mittal, and Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Mamta Singh. Director General of Police (Law and Order) Special for Punjab Director General of Police (Law and Order) Additional for Rajasthan, Arpit Shukla Anand Shrivastav is the Additional Director General of Police in Uttar Pradesh (Agra). Joint Commissioner of Police for Delhi, Anupam Kulshrestha Zone 1 Law and Order Special Commissioner of Police Rajneesh Gupta Zone 2 Law and Order Special Commissioners Deepender Pathak Videoconferencing was used to bring in Sagar Preet Hooda and Kanwardeep Kaur, the senior superintendent of police in Chandigarh.
