The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed authorities to ensure that no violence or instances of hate speech take place during the rallies organised by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal in the Delhi-NCR region against the violence in Haryana, Live Law reported.
“We hope and trust that the state governments, including police authorities, will ensure that there are no hate speeches against any community and there is no violence or damage to properties,” the court said in its order. “Wherever required, adequate police or paramilitary forces must be deployed.”
A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Justice SV Bhatti passed the order while hearing an urgent petition filed by journalist Shaheen Abdullah, seeking to stop the rallies.
The court also asked the Delhi Police and the state governments of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana to ensure that no untoward incident takes place in the rallies, according to Live Law. It also directed them to record videos of the rallies in sensitive areas and preserve the footage.
“We have to ensure that rule of law is maintained,” Justice Khanna said. “This cannot be treated as an adversarial litigation. The law and order is basically a policing issue which must be taken care of.”
The rallies are being held across Delhi to protest the communal violence in Haryana’s Nuh and Gurugram in which six people have been killed.
In view of the protests, the police have beefed up security in sensitive areas in the national capital. The police said that demonstrators have not sought permission for any rally or meeting at a public place.
Videos on social media showed demonstrators outside the Nangloi police station in west Delhi, calling for a boycott of Muslim-owned businesses and the removal of Muslims as tenants in the area.
A protestor said in a speech that the police should verify the identities of all tenants and street vendors. “Will we turn Delhi into UP or not?” he asked amid loud cheering.
The police confirmed that the protest was held but denied that it took place outside the station. The station house officer of Nangloi police station told Scroll that the protest was being held at a square. However, a sign for the police station could be seen just behind the man giving the speech.
The police officer also said that no first information report was registered against the demonstrators as the rally was peaceful.
Communal violence in Haryana
The violence began in Haryana’s Nuh on Monday afternoon after Hindu devotees who were part of the Brij Mandal Jalabhishek Yatra clashed with Muslims after their procession was allegedly stopped near the Khedla Mod.
Five persons, including two home guards, were killed in Nuh, where Hindu devotees clashed with Muslims after their procession was stopped. In Gurugram, a mob burnt down a mosque and killed its 19-year-old naib imam. A naib imam is the deputy to the imam of the mosque.
The protests took place as initial reports of the violence had suggested that for several hours, Hindu devotees participating in the procession were stranded in a temple complex, surrounded by a violent mob.
However, when Scroll visited the temple on Tuesday, the head priest, Deepak Sharma, said that although the atmosphere was tense on Monday afternoon, the police had managed to keep the mob “at least a kilometre away”.
On Tuesday, incidents of violence were reported in several areas in Gurugram. In the Sector 70 area of the city, a shop and several shanties were set on fire. A mob also set ablaze two shops in Gurugram’s Badshahpur area. Most of the shops and homes that were targeted belonged to Muslims.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!