Haryana polls: Nuh MLA Aftab Ahmed promises law against lynching in name of cow protection

Congress leader Aftab Ahmed with Rahul Gandhi/ Facebook

A law against lynching in the name of cow protection and a judicial inquiry into the communal violence that rocked the district last year are among the promises being made by the Congress' Aftab Ahmed, who is seeking re-election from the Muslim-dominated Nuh constituency in Haryana.

Ahmed, the deputy leader of opposition in the outgoing Haryana Assembly, says there were warnings ahead of the communal violence and he had raised concerns with the administration beforehand but they "let it happen", not only causing loss of lives and property but also faith.

"The communal violence that rocked Nuh district last year was because of the BJP's propagation of anti-social elements in the garb of 'gau rakshaks', they created a fear psychosis and the atmosphere was charged up. As MLA, I brought it to the notice of the administration that 'you should prevent such incidents' but they let it happen," Ahmed told PTI in an interview.

"The chief minister was busy having a meeting in Rewari, only 300 policemen were deputed for the entire route despite anti-social elements from both sides issuing challenges… They let it happen and till date we have been demanding that a judicial inquiry be held (to find) the officers responsible, the causes of such violence and the way they handled the violence," he added.

Six people, including two home guards and a cleric, died in the clashes that erupted in Nuh over an attempt to stop a Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) procession and spread to Gurugram. Police later slapped Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) charges against the Congress' Ferozepur Jhirka MLA Mamman Khan in the case.

"A day after the violence, they demolished the homes of some people who were not even involved, thousands of our structures were demolished of poor people, they were not even involved in this incident, and the stringent UAPA was initiated… That is the reason the Congress has been demanding a judicial inquiry into what led to the communal incident… It was not just the loss of lives and property but also faith amongst people," Ahmed said.

"We are fortunate enough that people saw through their game and one day after the incident, no such incident was repeated and people realised that we have to live in harmony… We will bring a law against lynching in the name of cow protection," he added.

Ahmed (58) is pitted against the BJP's Sanjay Singh, the sitting MLA from Sohna constituency, in Nuh. The Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) has fielded Tahir Hussain.

Tahir Hussain is the son of Zakir Hussain, a three-time MLA from the constituency and chairperson of the Haryana Waqf Board. He recently joined the INLD.

The BJP has never won from Nuh and the voters here have historically supported the Congress and the INLD.

Nuh was established as a separate district in 2005 from parts of what was then Gurgaon and Faridabad. It has three assembly constituencies -- Nuh, Ferozepur Jhirka and Punhana.

Nuh is the only constituency in the Muslim-dominated district where the BJP has not fielded a Muslim candidate.

Ahmed said, "Anti-social elements in the garb of cow protectors have been disturbing the peace and harmony of this area… They seem to think they are above the law, they take the law into their own hands, they seem to have extra-constitutional authority amongst themselves, the BJP seems to be helping them out." "Cow vigilantism is one of the election issues but the most important is the development of area which they (BJP) stopped… Despite declaring it an aspirational district, nothing of such sort happened in the budget allocation," he added.

Locals in Nuh -- identified as both economically and educationally backward -- have been demanding improved infrastructure and the setting up of a university. Besides chronic water shortages, dilapidated infrastructure, lack of healthcare facilities, and a high unemployment rate dominate the concerns of voters in the district.

Assembly polls in Haryana will be held on October 5 and the results declared on October 8.

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