Tensions Simmer Around India’s Capital After Religious Clashes

(Bloomberg) -- Thousands of security forces patrolled neighboring towns of New Delhi after religious clashes killed six people just weeks before a summit of the Group of 20 nations in India’s capital.

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Hindu and Muslim groups clashed during a religious procession in Nuh town of the northern state of Haryana on Monday, killing four people, including two policemen. Videos on social media and television news channels showed mobs pelting stones, vandalizing shops and setting cars on fire.

The latest communal violence in the National Capital Region, which includes many towns of neighboring states, is the worst since clashes in Delhi in 2020 when 52 people, mostly Muslims, were killed. It’s happening just weeks before the country’s Independence Day and the G-20 summit in New Delhi, putting pressure on the authorities to quickly bring normalcy in the region.

The deadly incidents follow ethnic clashes in Manipur, killing 150 people and displacing 50,000. The violence in the northeastern state centers around tensions between the area’s minority tribal groups and majority Meitei Hindus.

About 116 people have been arrested for their involvement in the clashes in the capital region that left six people dead, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said Wednesday. The attacks on the Hindu procession were well-planned and the result of a conspiracy, said Khattar, who belongs to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party.

This week’s violence also gripped Gurugram, a city just outside New Delhi and home to offices of global firms such as Microsoft Corp. and Alphabet Inc.’s Google. Violent mobs roamed on streets Tuesday, torched shops, burned down a mosque and killed a Muslim cleric, forcing some companies to advise employees to work from home.

Several Hindu groups organized protest marches in the Delhi region on Wednesday.

The Supreme Court of India directed authorities to take steps to prevent further violence or hate speeches during such demonstrations. The top court also asked Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh governments to prepare for deploying additional forces.

--With assistance from Shruti Mahajan.

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