Editor's Pick: Haryana violence: Hundreds flee Gurugram slum cluster after threats

Residents of a slum cluster in Gurugram’s Palra village in sector 70A fled the area on Wednesday, a day after open threats were issued. The cluster members are predominantly from West Bengal and were told to “go back where you came from” by a mob of members of some right-wing outfits on Tuesday. The slum dwellers were also assaulted by the mob which consisted of about 25 motorbikes with two-three men each. Some members stayed back, while some spent the night in a forested area. The Gurugram Police, however, denied any “incident” in the area. According to locals, around 800-900 families live in the slums on rent and most of them work as garbage collectors, domestic workers, and housekeeping staff in the residential societies in the vicinity. According to a native of West Bengal’s Dakshin Dinajpur who cleans cars for a living, the mob came to the area at around 11 a.m. on Tuesday and started thrashing people indiscriminately while asking for their identity proofs. He added that the men thrashed women more. “Maybe they wanted to make a statement that even women will not be spared.” The local said even though the police came soon after, the mob returned around 5.30 p.m. “The police tried to disperse them but did not use any force,” he said. Siddhant Jain, DCP (South Gurugram), blamed rumours on social media for the departures. Meanwhile, the death toll in communal violence in Haryana rose to six, even as Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar sought three additional companies of central paramilitary forces to supplement the 20 companies already deployed in the State. So far, 116 people have been arrested and 90 detained. Ban on mobile internet services in four districts of Haryana has been extended to August 5. With six people dead in the communal violence that has spread through south Haryana this week, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Wednesday sought three additional companies of Central paramilitary forces to supplement the 20 companies already deployed in the State. Pradeep Sharma, a Bajrang Dal co-ordinator in Badshapur, succumbed to his injuries at Delhi’s Safdarjang Hospital during treatment on Wednesday morning, taking the death toll to six. Previous casualties include the Imam of a Gurugram mosque and two police personnel. So far, 116 people have been arrested and 90 detained. Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala has raised concerns about lapses on part of Vishwa Hindu Parishad yatra organisers in Muslim-dominated Nuh district on Monday where violence first broke out. Previously, Union Minister of State Rao Inderjit Singh, who is the Lok Sabha MP for Gurugram, also asked why members of both communities, including the yatra’s participants, were carrying weapons. The Hindu’s Editorials Linear regression: On the government’s response to data on its policies Coup in Niger: On the ouster of President Mohamed Bazoum The Hindu’s Daily News Quiz How many IIMs are there in India? 20 23 18 25 To know the answer and to play the full quiz, click here. [logo] Editor's Pick 03 August 2023 [The Hindu logo] In the Editor's Pick newsletter, The Hindu explains why a story was important enough to be carried on the front page of today's edition of our newspaper. [Arrow]( [Open in browser]( [Mail icon]( [More newsletters]( Haryana violence: Hundreds flee Gurugram slum cluster after threats Residents of a slum cluster in Gurugram’s Palra village in sector 70A fled the area on Wednesday, a day after open threats were issued. The cluster members are predominantly from West Bengal and were told to [“go back where you came from”]( by a mob of members of some right-wing outfits on Tuesday. The slum dwellers were also assaulted by the mob which consisted of about 25 motorbikes with two-three men each. Some members stayed back, while some spent the night in a forested area. The Gurugram Police, however, denied any “incident” in the area. According to locals, around 800-900 families live in the slums on rent and most of them work as garbage collectors, domestic workers, and housekeeping staff in the residential societies in the vicinity. According to a native of West Bengal’s Dakshin Dinajpur who cleans cars for a living, the mob came to the area at around 11 a.m. on Tuesday and started thrashing people indiscriminately while asking for their identity proofs. He added that the men thrashed women more. “Maybe they wanted to make a statement that even women will not be spared.” The local said even though the police came soon after, the mob returned around 5.30 p.m. “The police tried to disperse them but did not use any force,” he said. Siddhant Jain, DCP (South Gurugram), blamed rumours on social media for the departures. Meanwhile, the [death toll]( in communal violence in Haryana rose to six, even as Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar [sought three additional companies of central paramilitary forces]( to supplement the 20 companies already deployed in the State. So far, 116 people have been arrested and 90 detained. Ban on mobile internet services in four districts of Haryana has been extended to August 5.  With six people dead in the communal violence that has spread through south Haryana this week, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Wednesday sought three additional companies of Central paramilitary forces to supplement the 20 companies already deployed in the State. Pradeep Sharma, a Bajrang Dal co-ordinator in Badshapur, succumbed to his injuries at Delhi’s Safdarjang Hospital during treatment on Wednesday morning, taking the death toll to six. Previous casualties include the Imam of a Gurugram mosque and two police personnel. So far, 116 people have been arrested and 90 detained. Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala has raised concerns about lapses on part of Vishwa Hindu Parishad yatra organisers in Muslim-dominated Nuh district on Monday where violence first broke out. Previously, Union Minister of State Rao Inderjit Singh, who is the Lok Sabha MP for Gurugram, also asked why members of both communities, including the yatra’s participants, were carrying weapons. The Hindu’s Editorials [Arrow][Linear regression: On the government’s response to data on its policies]( [Arrow][Coup in Niger: On the ouster of President Mohamed Bazoum]( The Hindu’s Daily News Quiz How many IIMs are there in India? - 20 - 23 - 18 - 25 To know the answer and to play the full quiz, [click here](. 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