Violence mars sarpanch victory march in Nuh; 77 booked, 9 held
Tension flared in Cheela village under the Tauru area of Nuh district on Tuesday when a victory procession celebrating the election of a new woman sarpanch turned violent. Stones were hurled at the rally, injuring at least five people. Police have booked 77 individuals, including nine women and arrested nine accused so far.
The incident occurred during a celebratory procession taken out for Mumtaz, daughter of Khalid Hussain, who recently won the byelection for the village sarpanch post by a margin of 341 votes. The event was also attended by former Minister of State for Forest, Environment and Sports Sanjay Singh, who was riding in a horse carriage during the procession.
The situation escalated as the procession passed by the house of the defeated candidate, Tabassum, who secured 948 votes. Eyewitnesses say an exchange of taunts triggered an altercation.
“As soon as the buggy of the former minister passed near the house of the losing candidate, a supporter reportedly made a provocative remark. Women standing on the rooftops started pelting stones and men soon joined them,” said a villager.
A stampede-like situation followed. Supporters managed to evacuate the former minister, the newly elected sarpanch Mumtaz and her father Khalid Hussain from the area.
A video of the chaos has surfaced, but Kunwar Sanjay Singh told media that he had already left the area before the stone pelting began.
“I reached the event and witnessed some altercation, but the stone pelting probably started after I left,” he claimed. His mobile phone, however, remained switched off when attempts were made to contact him later.
The backstory to the byelection adds further intrigue. Earlier, the elected sarpanch Nishava was suspended after her educational certificates were found to be fake. This led to the byelection held on Sunday, in which Mumtaz emerged victorious with 1,288 votes.
On Tuesday, her father hosted a celebration in the village, culminating in the procession that turned violent.
A team led by Inspector Jitender Singh, SHO of Sadar Tauru police station, rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control. An FIR was registered on the basis of a complaint filed by Khalid Hussain.
“The accused had already planned the attack. A large quantity of stones was recovered from their rooftops,” said DSP Devendra Singh.
“The probe is underway and all the accused will be arrested soon.”
Inspector Jitender Kumar confirmed that nine people have been arrested, and added: “Five of them have been sent to judicial custody by the Nuh court, while four are being questioned under police remand.”
Haryana Tribune