Communal tension in Himachal’s Nahan over social media post depicting slaughter, 2 shops vandalised
Communal tension was witnessed in Nahan on Wednesday (June 19, 2024) as an enraged crowd turned violent, targeting shops owned by a person belonging to a minority community and hailing from Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh following controversial social media posts allegedly depicting cattle slaughter.
The incident sparked widespread anger, leading to a protest rally that traversed through the city, culminating in demands to meet with local administrative and police officials.
The situation deteriorated when the crowd forcibly opened and vandalised two shops owned by the person in question, throwing out goods in protest against the contentious online content. Despite these actions, the protesters remained defiant and converged in a large protest march towards the Deputy Commissioner’s office, voicing slogans and demanding immediate action.
As the gathering intensified, Sirmaur Deputy Commissioner Sumit Khimta and Superintendent of Police Raman Kumar Meena were alerted and they promptly conducted a meeting to address the escalating situation.
They emerged from their offices to engage directly with the agitated crowd, assuring them that appropriate measures were being taken in accordance with the law.
Superintendent of Police Raman Kumar Meena emphasised that previous incidents of a similar nature in the district had been dealt with firmly, resulting in arrests. He assured the crowd that if the alleged incident indeed occurred within Nahan or Sirmaur jurisdiction, stringent action would be taken after a thorough investigation.
The controversy stemmed from social media posts purportedly depicting cow slaughter, reportedly originating from Saharanpur. While the incident itself allegedly occurred outside Nahan, the dissemination of the posts on social media triggered widespread condemnation and anger among locals.
