An Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM), along with her three-year-old daughter, had a narrow escape after their car was attacked and set on fire by a mob during the violence that erupted during a religious procession in Haryana’s Nuh on 31 July, the First Information Report (FIR) accessed by The Quint has revealed.
The FIR has been filed on the basis of complaint by one Tekchand, a process server at the Nuh district court, at the City Nuh police station on Tuesday, 1 August.
The FIR has been filed under sections 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 149 (unlawful Assembly), 435 (fire with intent to cause damage), 307 (attempt to murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and section 25 of the Arms Act.
This is one among the 42 FIRs filed so far in connection with the communal tensions that erupted in Nuh, which later spread to Sohna and Gurugram districts of Haryana.
What does the FIR Claim?
According to the FIR, at around 2 pm on Monday, Tekchand, along with ACJM Anjali Jain, her daughter, and their gunman C SiyaRam were returning in their Volkswagen Polo car from the SHKM Medical College in Nalhar when a mob of 100-150 people began pelting stones.
“When we reached Bandhan Bank, near the Old Bus Stand on Delhi-Alwar Road, a crowd of 100-150 people gathered there. Suddenly they started pelting stones and carrying out arson. In no time, one of the stones came flying from behind and broke the glass of the rear window of our car… Firing also began,” the complaint alleged in the FIR accessed by The Quint.
"The situation was tense and we feared for our lives... A small child was with us... Anything could have happened... There was fire everywhere... Vehicles were set on fire and the mob was on a rampage," read the FIR.
“All of us had to hide in a workshop at the Old Bus Stand to save our lives. Later, we were saved by some lawyers," the FIR said.
“When we went to the spot the next day, we found that the vehicle was completely burnt…” claimed the FIR. The complainant asked the police officials to take strict action against the unknown persons.
What Happened in Nuh?
At least six people, including two home guards were killed, and several others injured since communal clashes broke out at the ‘Brij Mandal Jalabhishek Yatra’ or the Shobha Yatra organised by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Bajrang Dal on 31 July, Monday.
On Tuesday morning, the Anjuman Jama Masjid in Gurugram's sector 57 was set ablaze, allegedly by a mob that also killed the Naib Imam of the mosque.
On Wednesday, 2 August, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Bajrang Dal took out rallies and held protests at 23 places in Delhi.
Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, August 2, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar appealed to the public to maintain peace and brotherhood and promised strict actions against the culprits.
The clashes broke out after rumours surrounding the attendance of Bajrang Dal leader Monu Manesar, who is wanted over his alleged role in the killing of two Muslim men earlier this year, allegedly surfaced.
Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij said that action will be taken against Bajrang Dal leader and cow vigilante Monu Manesar. "Even in this case, if he [Manesar] has any role, he will not be spared," Vij said.
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