A home guard was shot dead and about a dozen policemen injured as a mob in Haryana’s Nuh district tried to stop a Vishva Hindu Parishad procession, pelting stones and setting cars on fire, police said.

As news of the violence in Muslim-dominated Nuh spreads, mobs in adjoining Gurugram district's Sohna set ablaze four vehicles and a shop, apparently belonging to people from that community. Protesters blocked a road for hours.

An official said about a dozen policemen were injured in the Nuh violence and eight of whom were admitted in hospital. Among the injured Hodal Deputy Superintendent of Police Sajjan Singh was shot in the head and an inspector in the stomach.

Police said the vehicles set ablaze were part of the procession, or belonged to them. A video clip showed at least four cars on fire. Another purported video showed two damaged police cars. The clip contained sound of gunfire.

Police lobbed teargas shells in an attempt to disperse the mobs. Tension gripped the area and prohibitory orders banning assembly of people were clamped in the entire Nuh district.

Mobile internet services were suspended in Nuh district till Wednesday to contain the "intense communal tension", the Haryana government said.

Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij said the government has despatched additional forces from neighbouring districts. "We are also trying to send forces by helicopter," he told PTI.

According to police, VHP's 'Brij Mandal Jalabhishek Yatra' was stopped by a group of young men near Nuh’s Khedla Mod and stones pelted at the procession. Cars were then set ablaze.

People in the procession also hurled stones back at the youths who had stopped them, reports said. Later many took refuge in a temple as police tried to evacuate them to safety.

The yatra was flagged off earlier from Gurugram’s Civil Lines by BJP district president Gargi Kakkar. A police contingent was deployed with the procession.

According to some claims, the trigger for the clash was an objectionable video posted on social media by a Bajrang Dal activist in Ballabhgarh. There were also reports that Monu Manesar, a cow vigilante wanted in the murder of two Muslim men, was supposed to join the procession.

The vigilante, however, told PTI that he did not participate on the advice of the VHP, which feared that his presence would create tension. There were also threats on Twitter daring him to come to Nuh.

Home Minister Vij said he is in regular touch with senior officials.

"Our first priority is to bring the situation under control. We are appealing to all to maintain peace," Vij said.

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