Gurugram: Peace In India's Millennium City Disturbed As Uneasy Calm Prevails

Amid communal tension and higher than usual police presence in Gurugram, local business remained largely normal at shopping malls and complexes, while several offices offered work from home facility to employees.

Communal violence flared in Mewat's Nuh district on Monday, located about 50 kilometres from Gurugram's bustling Cybercity.

The first incident of violence spilled over to Gurugram late at night. A mosque, located in the middle of an upscale residential area in Sector 57, was set on fire, and the imam (leader of the mosque) was killed.

"We never thought a largely peaceful area such as ours could witness such a sight," said Mamta Sharma, a homemaker and resident of a nearby apartment complex.

There was additional police presence at her gated community, Sharma said. Her children didn't venture out of the home, as educational institutes in Gurugram were ordered shut. "Our daily help also didn't come out of fear. Delivery executives from Zepto and Zomato were also a bit hesitant, but ended up coming," she said.

Police presence in Gurugram. (Source: NDTV)

Gurugram is Haryana's flagship business district, outshining neighbouring cities in the National Capital Region. It contributed about 70% to the state's real estate investments, according to Assocham.

The NCR region contributes nearly 5% to the country's GDP, with Gurugram contributing a large proportion. The business district has the third highest per capita income after Chandigarh and Mumbai.

In the recent GST Meeting, Deputy Chief Minister of Haryana Dushyant Chautala said Gurugram collected Rs 36,000 crore in the financial year ended March 2023, while the state's overall collection stood at Rs 45,000 crore. Apart from this, it is also the site of India headquarters for about half the Fortune 500 companies in the country and home to top Indian corporates.

DLF CyberCity. (Source: DLF)

Fear was palpable among employees who travel to Gurugram from Delhi, Noida, Faridabad and other cities for work.

"A lot of offices let employees go home early on Tuesday, while several notified on Monday itself that work from home is allowed," said Zeeshan Ali, an employee at a private firm in Gurugram. He travelled back home within two hours of reporting at his office on the advice of his colleagues.

However, local business remained largely normal at malls and shopping complexes. "Footfall was as normal as it is on a Tuesday. Those who shopped with us were also not in any sort of panic," said Kanwal Jain, the proprietor of Kapurthala Jewellers, which has a branch in a mall on Gurugram's Golf Course Road.

Those who did travel reported a higher than usual police presence around prominent junctions and several villages such as Ghata, Tigra and Wazirabad that are now embedded within Gurugram.

Despite that, tensions flared further with mobs and violence being reported in Badshahpur and Sector-70A, both of which are located a stone's throw away from the bustling Sohna Road. The death toll rose to six, as of Wednesday, according to PTI.

Mobile internet was also suspended in neighbouring Sohna, Manesar and Pataudi to prevent the spread of fake news, rumours or inciteful speeches through social media, apart from the imposition of Section 144.

"The increased police presence makes us feel more unsafe somehow," Sharma said. "The tension was palpable among children as well. I really hope the situation calms down before there's more damage."

As of Wednesday, there were no fresh reports of violence in Gurugram or Nuh.