Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Tuesday took a bike rike to Karnal airport in an attempt to support the car free day initiative in the state. Earlier, the chief minister announced that every Tuesday would be a car-free day in Karnal, where all government officials would travel by bicycle only.

Taking to X, formerly Twitter, CM Manohar Lal Khattar wrote that be it Car Free Day or the resolve to make Drug-free Haryana, it cannot be accomplished without public cooperation. He expressed that he also made a small cooperation to reduce car traffic today by travelling to Karnal Airport by bike on Car Free Day. He added that he hopes the aware people of the state will take this message forward and inspire people to give up their cars just for a day. 

On September 1, in an effort to check pollution, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar declared that Tuesdays from now will be designated as car-free days in Karnal. Under the aegis of this initiative, all government officials will be required to travel by bicycle on Tuesdays.

Meanwhile on Monday, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar flagged off a cyclothon in Haryana’s Yamunanagar to promote the initiative of drug-free Haryana. The campaign titled Cyclothon for a Drug-Free Haryana witnessed the first cyclothon on September 1 and Monday, September 25.

Speaking about drug-free Haryana, the Chief Minister noted that their goal will not be achieved by mere march against drug addiction. He added that in order to eradicate it from its roots they will have to create public awareness continuously. He underlined that to eliminate drug addiction, they have to break the drug supply chain for which the government is taking action against the drug smugglers with great responsibility. 

The Chief Minister further remarked that during Cyclothon Yatra Closing Ceremony in Karnal, all the people present there took many resolutions to eradicate drug addiction from the society. 

Weeks after Haryana witnessed violence that erupted from the Sobha Yatra, the state is put on high alert with heavy security arrangements in place after the Sarv Jatiya Hindu Mahapanchayat called for a Sobha Yatra on Monday. Reportedly, Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar denied permission for the procession. 

Despite  being denied permission, the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Sunday asserted that Braj Mandal Sobha Yatra would be peacefully organised. VHP leader Alok Kumar remarked that no issues related to law and order would arise. The district administration enforced Section 144, appealing to the public to avoid any kind of movement in Nuh. Furthermore, all educational institutes, including schools and colleges, and banks in the district will remain closed. 

The Shav Jatiya Mahapanchayat on August 13 called to resume the Brij Mandal Sobha Yatra on August 28. Speaking about the matter, Haryana chief minister noted that since there was a law and order situation during the Yatra last month and now it is the responsibility of the government to maintain law and order, that is why the permission to carry out the yatra was not given. The state government has also suspended mobile internet services from August 26 to August 28.

Speaking to ANI, VHP leader stated that they know G20 is going to start, so they will shorten the Yatra. However, they will not leave it and complete it tomorrow. He added that the government is there to maintain law and order so that people can organise their religious events peacefully and safely.

As per police spokesperson in Nuh, 1900 Haryana police personnel and 24 companies of parliamentary forces have been deployed. In addition, all entry points to the district have been barricaded and the roads leading to Malhar temple have also been closed. Nonetheless, the traffic on the KMP Expressway and the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway will continue normally. 

A nine-member delegation of senior Haryana Congress leaders, who were visiting the violence-hit areas in Nuh was stopped by the police on Tuesday near Rewasan village, according to reports. The police cited prohibitions under Section 144 CrPC that are in place and security concerns while stopping the leaders from visiting the violence-hit areas.

The nine-member delegation included Congress MP Deepender Hooda and the party’s state unit chief Udai Bhan, who was leading the team. Speaking to the media, Deepender Hooda said that they wanted to meet victims of the violence and appeal for peace. He added that their delegation wants to visit Nuh City, Nalhar Mandir, and markets. He mentioned that they want to speak to everyone affected in the violence. The Congress MP asserted that there is a lot of police deployment in the area. He remarked that if the police deployment had been done earlier, there would not have been the clashes.

A four-member delegation of Communist Party of India (CPI) was earlier stopped on August 5. The delegation included CPI Rajya Sabha MP Binoy Viswam, CPI general secretary Amarjeet Kaur, party MP Sandosh Kumar P, and party leader Dariyav Singh Kashyap was also stopped by the police who stated the same reasons.

As far as reports are concerned, massive violence erupted in Haryana’s Nuh district on July 31 allegedly over an attempt to avert a Vishva Hindu Parishad procession, in which six people lost their lives. The violence soon spread to Gurugram and other parts of the state. According to the Haryana government, nearly 156 people have been detained and 56 First Information Reports have been lodged as yet in connection with the violence and rioting in Nuh district. On the other hand, Haryana’s District Public Relations Officer (DPRO) on Monday affirmed that normal life has been restored in the violence-hit areas.