The 2023 Haryana riots, commonly referred to as the Nuh violence, were a series of clashes in northern India that originated in the district of Nuh and spread to nearby regions within Haryana. On 31 July 2023, communal violence erupted in Nuh, Haryana, between Muslims and Hindus during an annual Brajmandal Yatra pilgrimage organised by the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP). By that evening, related incidents of communal violence were reported from Gurugram and Sohna. As of 3 August 2023, the situation had resulted in at least seven fatalities and over 200 reported injuries.
On 20 July 2023, Bajrang Dal activist and cow vigilante Monu Manesar posted a video announcing that he would participate in the Yatra, which quickly went viral. The Muslim community of Nuh was outraged, as Manesar is wanted as a suspect in the February 2023 lynching of two Muslim men. Upon hearing that Manesar would be in the procession, young men from the local Muslim community organized, meeting from 21 July to 23 July to make plans for an attack. Manesar did not ultimately attend at the request of the organizers due to security concerns. Local police believed that Manesar's absence would keep the crowd calm enough for law enforcement to prevent violence.
Violence broke out on 31 July during the annual Brajmandal Yatra pilgrimage through the Muslim-majority district of Nuh. Rioters executed an attack on the procession, pelting it with stones, bottles, and molotov cocktails. This triggered retaliatory actions from the Hindu procession participants. The Hindus taking part in the procession were forced to flee to a nearby temple, which was then besieged by rioters armed with guns, who fired upon the temple. The police believe the attack on the procession was premeditated and well-organized.
In response, the government imposed a curfew, suspended Internet services, and sent extra paramilitary troops to the region to prevent a further outbreak of violence. Retaliatory violence broke out in nearby districts. Hundreds of Muslim-owned shops and homes were bulldozed in the following days. Officials in Nuh claimed that the buildings destroyed were illegally erected or belonged to rioters, but there was no investigation or advance notice given to owners before their properties were razed. Calm and order were said to have been restored on 8 August 2023.
Background The Brajmandal Yatra in Haryana's Nuh district was initiated by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) in 2020 to revive sacred Hindu sites in the area. Nuh, previously known as Mewat, is believed to be home to three ancient Shiva lingas from the time of the Pandavas and a grazing site used by Krishna. VHP leaders claim that these sites are under threat of encroachment by influential individuals in the region. The Mewat Darshan Yatra, which is part of the Brajmandal Yatra, aims to restore the significance of these religious sites. The yatra commences in Sohna and begins with a ceremonial "jal (water) abhishek" at the ancient Nalhar Mahadev Temple near the city of Nuh. The yatra then proceeds to visit other temples in the region, including the Jhirakeshwar Mahadev, Shrangar village's Radha Krishna Temple, and the Shringeshwar Mahadev Temple. There were around 25,000 participants in the 2023 yatra, including organizations such as the Bharatiya Gau Raksha Dal and the Bajrang Dal. The yatra is attended by Nuh's Hindu population, which constitutes about 20% of residents, as well as devotees from other districts in Haryana.
Nuh is part of the Mewat region, home to the Meo community who converted to Islam during the Muslim period. Mewat was one of the few regions to retain a significant Muslim population after Indian independence, with Muslims accounting for 79.2% of the population in 2011. Many Hindutva leaders, including Bhartiya Janata Party MLA Madan Dilawar, have accused the district of being a "mini-Pakistan"; these comments have been condemned by others. According to The Quint, many local police accused the Muslims in the district of being not loyal to India. Social media campaigns have spread hatred toward local Muslims, accusing them of kidnapping and sexually assaulting female residents.
Cow slaughter is illegal in Haryana and punishable by up to ten years in prison due to cows' religious significance in Hinduism. There has been tension in the region due to clashes between individuals illegally slaughtering cows or smuggling beef and gau rakshaks () trying to stop them. Incidents of cow vigilantism have increased in the district since 2014, when Hindu nationalist PM Narendra Modi was elected. The 2017 murder of Nuh resident Pehlu Khan by cow vigilantes gained national headlines. Several Mahapanchayats have been held in Nuh which resulted in calls for anti-Muslim violence. More recently, in February 2023, 2 Meo Muslim men suspected of cattle smuggling were allegedly lynched near Loharu by a mob led by cow vigilante and Hindutva activist Monu Manesar. The murders provoked mass protests in the town of Ferozepur Jhirka, near the city of Nuh, calling for the arrest of the accused and an end to cow vigilantism. Communal tension increased when a Mahapanchayat was held in the nearby Palwal district in support of Monu Manesar, which featured calls for anti-Muslim violence. When Manesar announced that he would be participating in the Yatra, many in Nuh's Muslim community saw it as an open act of incitement.
Riots
Nuh Police were given information about the Yatra in advance, including an estimated number of attendees, the status of Monu Manesar's attendance, and that Hindu participants would be chanting and waving sticks and swords. Authorities believed that since Manesar would not be attending, no additional backup would be needed to control the crowd.
The attacks began in Khedla Mod, Nuh, when a mob stopped Brajmandal Yatra and attacked participants. The mob, which was composed primarily of men between the ages of 17 and 22, set fire to cars, homes, and shops of the local Hindu community. Around 14:00, roughly 2,500 Hindus, including BD (Bajrang Dal) and VHP (Vishwa Hindu Parishad) members, fled to a nearby Nulhar Mahadev temple for shelter. The mob surrounded the temple, firing guns and throwing stones. The temple was surrounded by the rioters for about five hours before police reinforcements from other districts were able to rescue those sheltering inside. According to The Wire, the Nuh temple priest disputes the claim that people were "held hostage" at the Nulhar Mahadev temple. The temple priest recalled that:
Rioters also rammed a bus into the cyber police station of Nuh, which has gained a notorious reputation as a cybercrime hotspot in the country. Nuh District Inspector Vishvajeet (CID) reported that recent measures taken by the police to curb cybercrime and cow slaughter had caused frustration and resentment among local villagers. He stated that rigorous enforcement has caused problems for the villagers, leading locals to question the motives behind the frequent police raids on their homes. The cars outside the police station were set on fire. Other locations, such as Nuh bus stand, Nuh market, and Nuh grain market were also attacked by the rioters using rocks. A shopkeeper reported that the rioters in Nuh had robbed his store, stealing over .
Gurugram Despite the border to Nuh being sealed by law enforcement, violence spread to neighbouring Gurugram. A crowd of approximately 500 rioters began pelting stones and torching shops and cars in the Sohna region.
On 1 August 2023, the day after the riots, 22-year-old deputy Imam Mohammad Saad of the Anjuman Jama mosque in Gurugram was killed. A mob reportedly stabbed Saad more than a dozen times in the neck, chest, and abdomen before slitting his throat. A mosque caretaker named Mohammad Khurshid was also injured. The mob of nearly 100 people then allegedly broke into the under-construction mosque at Sector 57 and set it ablaze. This was the only mosque in New Gurugram on government-allocated land. According to the FIR filed by Station House Officer (SHO) Satish Kumar, he and six other police officers were on duty near the Anjuman Mosque and attempted to halt the mob, but were overpowered by the crowd, who hurled stones and opened fire at the officers. The Shahi Masjid in Sohna was allegedly vandalised by a mob of 70-100 men. The mosque's Imam, his family, and a group of 10-12 children studying at the madrasa inside escaped unhurt as members of Sikh community intervened and conducted a rescue operation.
The violence, which spread to several areas of Gurugram, included attacks on numerous commercial properties. Over 200 Muslim families fled their homes due to threats from right-wing outfits. On the evening of August 1, 2023, shops in Gurugram's Sectors 66 and 70A were set ablaze. Simultaneously, Bajrang Dal members organized a rally in Haryana's Bahadurgarh city, where they chanted anti-Muslim slogans such as "Desh ke gaddaron ko, Goli maaro saalon ko" ("Shoot the traitors of our country"). This chant was widely used by BJP politicians against Muslims during the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protests in 2019 and 2020.
Premeditation Police investigators stated that the Nuh riots were planned ahead of time, alleging that residents had made plans over WhatsApp group chats to attack the yatra between 21 July and 23 July, over a week before the attacks. Plans reportedly started after Monu Manesar announced that he would be attending the yatra in a video posted 20 July. These plans included assigning duties in the riots, including throwing stones and glass bottles. According to the police informants related to the case, the groups had collected more than 3,000 bottles and rocks ahead of time. The rioters allegedly arranged more than 200 bikes and painted over registration plates to avoid being identified by the police. Police raids have recovered "huge" volumes of stones and explosives.
Casualties Two Hindus taking part in the religious procession were killed. Abhishek Chauhan, 22, had come to Nuh with his brother for the procession. The brothers were attacked as they exited Shiv Mandir in Nalhar. His brother escaped safely, but Chauhan was killed. Pradeep Sharma, 32, was attacked by the mob when they saw his kalava and succumbed to his injuries at a Delhi hospital. Chauhan and Sharma were both activists for Bajrang Dal. A third fatality, a bystander, Shakti Singh, was also killed by the mob in Nuh.
A deputy imam of a Gurugram mosque named Mohammad Saad was also fatally attacked by a group of rioters. Several others who had taken shelter in the mosque sustained serious injuries.
Two Home Guard officers, Neeraj Khan and Home Guard Gursev Singh, were killed. Eight injured police personnel were transported to Gurugram's Medanta Hospital. Among the wounded, Hodal Deputy Superintendent of Police Sajjan Singh sustained a gunshot wound to the head, and an inspector was injured in the stomach.
Response The Government of Haryana banned all mobile Internet and SMS services in Nuh district from the evening of 31 July until 2 August 2023. A curfew was imposed in Nuh district. The sale of petrol was banned following its use by rioters in constructing makeshift explosives. Internet was also restricted in Palwal, Manesar and Pataudi. Alerts were issued for 11 districts in western Uttar Pradesh. Alerts were especially urgent in Mathura, which shares a border with Nuh.