Haryana deputy chief minister Dushyant Chautala on Tuesday said the violence in Nuh district could have been averted had the organisers (VHP-Bajrang Dal) who took out the religious procession given “proper estimation” to the administration about the number of people participating in the shobha yatra which was attacked by anti-social elements.

Speaking to reporters in Delhi, Dushyant, who is a leader of the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), said the Nuh incident was unprecedented in the history of Haryana and that it could have been prevented.

“Jo kal ki yatra ke ayojak the unhone bheed ka estimation aur proper bayora jila prashashan ko nahin diya. Kahin naa kahin uski kami ke karan yah durghatna kal ghati hai (The organisers of Monday’s event did not give proper information about the expected number of persons participating in the event. This seems to be the cause behind the widespread damage),” said Dushyant in a video doing rounds on various social media platforms.

The deputy CM said whether it was pre-Independence period when Mughals attacked India or the post-Independence period, Mewat always stood firmly with India. “People of Mewat fought for the Independence of India. What happened in Nuh on Monday is unprecedented in the history of Haryana and those behind this incident must be identified and punished as per law,” he said, urging people to maintain peace.

Responding to a question whether Monu Manesar, the right wing fugitive of cow vigilante and a prominent Congress leader of Mewat, allegedly provoked the crowd, Dushyant said: “The culprits will not be spared irrespective of their political affiliations. Tough action will be taken against those who aggravated the situation irrespective of whether they belong to a political party or a social organisation.”