The 2023 Haryana riots were a series of clashes in northern India that originated in the state of Haryana and have subsequently spread to nearby regions. On 31 July 2023, communal violence erupted in the Nuh district of Haryana between Muslims and Hindus during an annual Brajmandal Yatra pilgrimage organised by the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), a Hindu nationalist organization. By the evening of the same day, fresh incidents of communal violence were reported from Gurugram and Sohna. As of 3 August 2023, the situation has resulted in at least seven fatalities and over 200 reported injuries.

The violence started during the annual Brajmandal Yatra pilgrimage through the Muslim-majority district of Nuh; the Muslim community was angered when it was announced that the procession would include Bajrang Dal activist and cow vigilante Monu Manesar, who is wanted by the police as a suspect in the murder of two Muslim men, Nasir and Junaid, though the man did not show up at the procession. Upon hearing that Monu Manesar was attending a religious procession, the local Muslim community organized an attack on the procession, and from 21 July to 23 July met to "lay out a plan to attack the yatra". They executed their attack on the procession on 31 July, pelting it with stones, bottles, and incidiary weapons. 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 this attack was premeditated and well-organized.

In response, the government imposed a curfew, suspended Internet services, and sent extra troops to the region to prevent a further outbreak of violence. Calm and order were said to have been restored on 8 August 2023.

Background 
The Brajmandal Yatra in Haryana's Nuh was initiated by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) three years ago to revive sacred Hindu sites in the district. Nuh, previously known as Mewat, is believed to be home to three ancient Shiva lingas from the time of the Pandavas in the Mahabharata, and Krishna used to graze his cows here. 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. Hindus make up about 20.37% of the district's population and devotees from other Haryana districts also participate in the yatra. The yatra commences in Sohna and begins with a ceremonial "jal (water) abhishek" at the Nalhar Mahadev Temple, which is an ancient temple located near Nuh town. The yatra then proceeds to visit other temples in the region, including the Jhirakeshwar Mahadev and Radha Krishna Temple in Shrangar village and the Shringeshwar Mahadev Temple. There were around 25,000 participants in the yatra, including organizations such as the Gau Raksha Dal and the Bajrang Dal.

Nuh is part of the Mewat region, home to the Meo community who converted to Islam during the Muslim period. They retained their ethnic customs until the 1920s, when the Tablighi Jamaat, an Islamic missionary movement, influenced them to become more orthodox. The community faced ethnic cleansing campaigns from the Maharajas of the princely states of Alwar and Bharatpur during the partition of India, but did not leave en masse for Pakistan due to Mahatma Gandhi's insistence that they stay. Therefore, Mewat was one of the few regions to retain a significant Muslim population after Indian independence, with their share reaching 79.2% in 2011. Many Hindutva, including BJP 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. In recent years, the Mewat region has seen increased communal tension due to the issue of illegal cow slaughter and gau rakshaks (). Since 2014, incidents of cow vigilantism have increased in the district. The murder of Pehlu Khan, who was from Nuh, by cow vigilantes in the adjacent Alwar district gained national headlines. Several Mahapanchayats have been held in Nuh district calling for anti-Muslim violence. More recently in February 2023, 2 Meo Muslim men from Bharatpur district in Rajasthan, Junaid and Nasir, were lynched near Loharu by a mob allegedly led by cow vigilante and Hindutva activist Monu Manesar. The murders provoked mass protests in the town of Ferozepur Jhirka, near to the city of Nuh, calling for the arrest of the accused and an end to cow vigilantism. Communal tension increased with a Mahapanchayat held in Hathin in the nearby Palwal district in support of Monu Manesar, which featured calls for anti-Muslim violence.

Riots
The attacks began when a Vishva Hindu Parishad's, Brajmandal Yatra, which had passed through Nuh for the past three years, was stopped by a mob in Nuh's Khedla Mod and attacked with stones. Cars, homes, and shops of the local Hindu community were set ablaze by the mob, and at around 14:00, roughly 2,500 Hindus including BD and VHP members fled to a nearby Nulhar Mahadev temple for shelter. While in the temple they were attacked by the mob, who shot at them with guns, and pelted stones. They were surrounded in the temple by the rioters for about five hours before police reinforcement from five districts were able to rescue them. According to The Wire the Nuh temple priest disputes the claim that people were "held hostage" at the Nalhar Mahadev temple. The temple priest recalled that:

Nuh District Inspector Vishvajeet (CID) reported that as soon as rumours about Monu Manesar attending the yatra started spreading, the residents (all men aged 17–22) quickly assembled and set off on bikes for the yatra route.

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. Vishvajeet, disclosed that the measures taken by the police station had caused frustration and resentment among the local villagers. He mentioned that rigorous enforcement of cybercrime law and cow slaughter prohibition has caused various problems for the villagers. These factors led the locals to inquire about 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 .

In retaliation for initiating the violence, over 1,200 homes and shops were bulldozed in a Muslim-majority area in Haryana, resulting in accusations of "ethnic cleansing".

Premeditation
Police investigators stated that the riots were well planned ahead of time, stating that between 21 July and 23 July, over a week before the attacks, people had organized into WhatsApp group chats to "lay out a plan to attack the yatra". These plans included assigning duties in the riots, including throwing stones and throwing 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. According to Hindustan Times report, the rioters had 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 other explosives.

According to Chaudhary Aftab Ahmed, an MLA in Nuh, the riots were planned ahead of time, and the rioters had used social media to provoke it. Manohar Lal Khattar, Chief Minister of Haryana, stated that there was a "well thought out conspiracy behind the clashes". Amid communal tensions in Haryana, state Home Minister Anil Vij said that action will be taken against Monu Manesar. Union Minister and Gurugram MP, Rao Inderjit Singh, expressed apprehensions regarding the Nuh violence, wherein he raised inquiries about the factors that led to provocation from both sides. He particularly questioned the presence of swords and sticks during a religious procession, acknowledging the possibility of provocation from the opposing party as well. According to the Deputy Chief Minister of Haryana, the organizers of the Shobha Yatra, including VHP and its affiliated organizations, failed to provide the administration with accurate information.

Gurugram
Despite the border to Nuh having been sealed, violence spread to Gurugram. A crowd of approximately 500 rioters began pelting stones and torching shops and cars in the Sohna region.

The clashes in Nuh incited retaliation in Gurugram. On 1 August 2023, the 22-year-old deputy Imam Mohammad Saad of the Anjuman Jama mosque in Gurugram was killed. Allegedly, a mob of nearly 100 people broke into the under-construction mosque at Sector 57 and set it ablaze. This mosque was the only one in New Gurugram on government-allocated land. The mob reportedly stabbed Saad in the neck, chest, and abdomen, and also injured a caretaker named Mohammad Khurshid. 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. The FIR further states that the police attempted to halt the mob, but the mob attacked them. The mob also hurled stones at them and even opened fire at the officers. The deputy imam, Mohammed Saad, who was standing in for the chief imam, sustained 13 stab wounds, including a slit throat, resulting in his death. 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 madarsa inside escaped unhurt as members of Sikh community intervened and conducted a rescue operation.

The violence in Nuh, which has now spread to several areas of Gurugram, encompasses attacks on numerous commercial properties. Over 200 Muslim families have been compelled to vacate their homes due to threats from right-wing outfits. On the evening of August 1, 2023, shops in Gurugram's Sector 70A and Sector 66 were set ablaze. Simultaneously, Bajrang Dal members organized a rally in Haryana's Bahadurgarh city, where they chanted hateful 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.

Response
The government of Haryana banned all mobile Internet and SMS services in Nuh district until 2 August 2023. A curfew was imposed in Nuh district. The sale of petrol/diesel was banned, following the use of these chemicals in makeshift explosives by the rioters. Internet was also restricted in Palwal, Manesar and Pataudi. Alerts have been issued for 11 districts in western Uttar Pradesh, especially Mathura, which shares a border with Nuh.

The Haryana Police announced compensation of ₹5,700,000 (US$71,000) each for the families of the two home guards, Neeraj Khan and Gursev Singh, who were killed.

Over 116 people were arrested in connection to the riots.

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights has requested an inquiry into the engagement of children in stone pelting and other illicit activities during the recent communal unrest in the Nuh district of Haryana.

The Haryana government sanctioned land to be created for a new CRPF's anti-riot unit RAF to be stationed in Nuh. In addition, the headquarters of the IRB 2nd Battalion has been shifted to Nuh.

Haryana Urban Development Authority demolished over 200 illegal shanties that were housing migrant workers from Bangladesh in Taoru town, near Nuh.

Casualties
Two Hindus taking part in the religious procession, One Abhishek Chauhan, Abhishek and his brother had come to Nuh for the procession, and were exiting the Shiv Mandir in Nalhar when they were attacked by a mob armed with guns, swords and stones. Abhishek's brother states that just as the mob started beating people his brother was shot. He tried to carry his wounded brother to safety but a man attacked them with a sword. The other, Pradeep Sharma, was attacked by the mob when they saw his kalava and succumbed to his injuries at a Delhi hospital. 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. Furthermore, several other individuals who had taken shelter in the mosque sustained serious injuries.

Two home officers, namely Home Guard Neeraj Khan and Home Guard Gursev Singh, were killed. Eight of the 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.

Social media
Haryana's Home Minister, Anil Vij, stated that social media has played a major role in escalating the violence in Nuh. To address this issue, the state government has established a three-member committee responsible for monitoring social media activities starting from July 21. According to an official statement, platforms like Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, and others will undergo close examination and scrutiny for any posts that may incite violence. Home Minister Anil Vij made this statement as part of the measures taken to address the issue of provocative content on social media related to the violence in Nuh.

See also
 2002 Gujarat riots
 2017 Northern India riots
 2020 Delhi riots
 2020 Bangalore riots
 2023 Manipur violence
 Nasir and Junaid lynching
 List of massacres in India

References

Nuh district
Haryana riots
Haryana riots
Haryana riots
2020s in Haryana
Crime in Haryana
Violence against Hindus in India
Anti-Muslim violence in India
Riots and civil disorder in India