Nuh wears deserted look amid tight security; 15 seers, right-wing group leaders pray at Nalhar temple

After they were denied permission by the administration, 15 seers and leaders of right-wing groups were eventually allowed to offer prayers at the Shiv temple in Nuh’s Nalhar region amid heightened security.

Right wing outfit Vishva Hindu Parishad had called for a Shobha Yatra after a similar religious procession led to communal violence on July 31, leaving six people dead. The state government had, however, denied permissions for any yatra and said that devotees were free to offer their prayers at the temples of the region. Officials said that the state government had deployed surveillance drones, 2,000 police personnel, and over 3,000 central paramilitary forces. 

This had led some seers to sit on dharna; Jagadguru Paramhans Acharya, a Hindu seer from Ayodhya, said that the government should allow them since Monday was the last day of the month of Shravan. “We had brought the soil of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi and the water from Sarayu river to pay homage to the Bajrang Dal workers who were killed,” the seer told ANI, while questioning why only Hindus were restricted.

Eventually, about 15 seers and leaders from Hindu outfits were allowed to enter the district, and were taken to three temples in Nalhar, Jhir and Singar on the original yatra route and brought back in police vehicles. VHP working president Alok Kumar, Swami Dharm Dev and Swami Parmanand were among those who took part in ‘jalabhishek’.

Nuh Deputy Commissioner Dhirendra Khadgata said in a statement that the 'jalabhishek’ programmes were held peacefully. “No organisation was allowed to take out processions in the district. ‘Jalabhishek’ programmes were conducted peacefully throughout the day by the locals at Nalheshwar and Jhir temples,” he said.

(with PTI inputs)