Haryana suspends mobile internet in Nuh for 24 hours
The Braj Mandal Jalabhishek Yatra that was marred by violence last year began in Nuh district, Haryana on Monday morning amid tight security arrangements. As part of the security measures, the Haryana government has suspended all mobile internet services in the district, Anurag Rastogi, home secretary of Haryana said. The suspension began at 6:00pm on Sunday and will last till 6:00pm Monday.
Suspension aimed at preventing misinformation spread
The suspension of mobile internet services, bulk SMS (excluding banking and mobile recharge), and all dongle services on mobile networks, except voice calls, is aimed at preventing the spread of misinformation. The order was specifically designed to prevent rumors from circulating on social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and SMS.
Security measures in place
The Braj Mandal Jalabhishek Yatra is expected to attract around 5,000 participants. To maintain law and order during the event, police and civil administration in Haryana have arranged checkpoints, drones, and deputy magistrates. Varun Gaur, Vishwa Hindu Parishad's Haryana state general secretary said that devotees from different districts of Haryana and neighboring states will participate in the event. Despite the internet suspension, individual SMS services, mobile recharge service, banking SMS and voice calls will remain unaffected.
Neighboring districts on high alert
Neighboring districts such as Gurugram, Faridabad and Palwal are also on high alert due to last year's violence that began in Nuh spreading to these areas. Special checkpoints have been set up for vehicle checks, and police in Sohna are monitoring traffic using drones. A total of 14 duty magistrates have been deputed in Muslim-dominated areas across four districts of Nuh, Palwal, Gurugram and Faridabad. Additionally, a dozen assistant commissioners of police will oversee the yatra route in Faridabad.
2000 security personnel on duty
According to officials, over 2,000 personnel from police and paramilitary have been deployed in the district to ensure foolproof security for the yatra this time. To recall, six people, including two home guards and a cleric of a Gurugram mosque, died in the clashes that erupted when a mob attacked a VHP procession in Nuh on July 31 last year.
