Nuh MLA Aftab Ahmed pledges anti-cow lynching law ahead of Haryana polls

Ahmed, the deputy leader of the opposition in the outgoing Haryana Assembly, stated that there were warnings prior to the communal violence. He claims to have raised these concerns with the administration in advance, but they "allowed it to happen," resulting not only in the loss of lives and property but also in eroding public trust.

In an interview with PTI, Ahmed said, "The communal violence that shook Nuh district last year was a result of the BJP promoting anti-social elements disguised as ‘gau rakshaks’. They instilled fear and heightened tensions. As an MLA, I alerted the administration, urging them to prevent such incidents, but they allowed it to unfold."

Ahmed added, "The chief minister was occupied with a meeting in Rewari, while only 300 police officers were deployed along the entire route, despite threats from anti-social elements on both sides. They allowed it to happen, and to this day, we have been calling for a judicial inquiry to hold accountable the officers responsible, uncover the causes of the violence, and assess how it was handled."

Six people lost their lives in the Nuh clashes

Six people, including two home guards and a cleric, lost their lives in clashes that broke out in Nuh following an attempt to halt a Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) procession, with the violence later spreading to Gurugram. Police subsequently filed charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) against Congress MLA Mamman Khan from Ferozepur Jhirka in connection with the incident.

"A day after the violence, they demolished the homes of some people who were not even involved. Thousands of our structures were demolished; poor people’s homes were destroyed, and 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 the loss of faith among the people," Ahmed said.

Nuh contest

Ahmed (58) is running against the BJP’s Sanjay Singh, the current MLA from the Sohna constituency, in Nuh. The Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) has nominated Tahir Hussain as their candidate. Tahir Hussain is the son of Zakir Hussain, who served as an MLA three times and is the chairperson of the Haryana Waqf Board. He has recently joined the INLD.

The BJP has never won in Nuh. Historically, voters in this area have supported the Congress and the INLD.

Nuh became a separate district in 2005, formed from parts of Gurgaon and Faridabad. It includes 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.

Disruptive individuals disturbing the peace

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 among themselves, and the BJP seems to be helping them out."

"Cow vigilantism is one of the election issues, but the most important is the development of the area, which they (BJP) stopped… Despite declaring it an aspirational district, nothing of such sort happened in the budget allocation," he added.

Residents of Nuh recognized as both economically and educationally disadvantaged, have been calling for better infrastructure and the establishment of a university. In addition to persistent water shortages, the district faces deteriorating infrastructure, inadequate healthcare services, and high unemployment, which are the primary concerns of voters.

Haryana's assembly elections are scheduled for October 5, with the results set to be announced on October 8.