https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

How Braving Bullets and Fires, IPS Officer Mamta Singh Rescued 2500+ People from A Temple in Nuh

ADGP Mamta Singh successfully rescued people trapped inside a Shiva temple during the Nuh violence Supreme Court has praised her contribution to many investigations by the Human Rights Commission She is also the recipient of a President’s medal
Indian Masterminds Stories

This is not a Hollywood thriller where super heroes rescue people and take them to safe spots. It is actually a real scene from Nuh in Haryana on 31 July, when ADGP Mamta Singh and her team’s heroics saved more than 2500 people holed up inside a temple, from rioters. Between stone-pelting and raining of bullets, the police team under the leadership of Ms. Mamta Singh did an excellent job of protecting the people and taking them to a safe place, earning praise from every corner of the country.

Although things have almost returned to normal in Nuh and the situation is under control, that fateful day will be remembered by the survivors as a day of horror.

Recalling the incident in an exclusive interview to Indian Masterminds, 1996 batch IPS officer Mamta Singh, who is ADGP, Law & Order, said that she still cannot forget the traumatized faces of the women and children.

She said that God was by her side that day and that is why they somehow managed to save those people, as she recounted the whole story in detail.

IPS Mamta Singh

REACHED TEMPLE WITH DIFFICULTY

When rioting started on 31 July, news of violence started coming in from various places. Police headquarters got the news that people are trapped in the Shiva temple of Nalhar. It was not known then that such a large number of people were trapped there. At that time, Ms. Singh took whatever force was available with her and started towards the temple. Some policemen, including few from Gurugram, along with SP Palwal, Lokendra Singh (Nuh SP Varun Singla was on leave), went with her. Reaching there was not at all easy as there were obstructions at many places.

Ms. Singh said, “There was firing and stone pelting all along the way. Controlling all that somehow I reached a spot, about 500 meters away from the main temple. On reaching there, the scene was even more horrifying. The roads leading to the temple were blocked. Arson was being carried out and stone pelting was going on.”

Famous Shiva Temple at Nuh which traces its association to the Pandava of Mahabharata

She understood that the temple cannot be reached through the main road. So the team decided to reach the temple through a rough road through the fields. But, on getting wind of the presence of the police, the rioters increased their firing. Suddenly, the stone pelting also increased and all around only burning fires were visible. Taking advantage of the situation, the rioters set all the vehicles of devotees on fire.

Ms. Singh said, “There are mountains all around the temple. That’s why the rioters had found a place to hide. It was clearly visible that a large number of people had assembled there and they started firing, hiding in the mountains and bushes. Seeing this situation, I gave clear instructions to my team that now they should start burst firing.”

LOCKED PEOPLE INSIDE

The police team locked the people present in the temple premises in rooms and halls, because rioters were firing wherever any crowd was visible. So the police team covered the place by first removing the crowd and then moved to retaliatory action. “At that time we were waiting for more force to come, but it was getting dark fast. That’s why we made an evacuation plan. Because, in the dark, the rioters would have taken the chance to enter the temple. And, if that had happened, the situation would have gone out of our hands,” the officer said.

Cars set on fire by Rioters

STARTED EVACUATING

For evacuation, groups of women and children and men were formed. Everyone was very scared. That’s why no one was ready to come out even after being asked repeatedly by the police. So, to give the people confidence, Ms. Singh started walking out, saying to the people, “I will be at the front and will walk ahead. No one needs to be afraid.”

She went forward with a group and SP Lokendra Singh stayed in the temple with the remaining people. This was done as taking everyone out together was a big risk. All this while, vehicles were being burnt. Even on the road leading towards the temple, for 500 meters, burnt CNG vehicles were bursting every now and then. And the police had only 3 buses and few smaller vehicles at that time.

A road leading towards the Nalhar Shiva Temple in Nuh, remains with debris of vehicles (Credit: Social Media/Nikita Jain)

NARROW ESCAPE

The burning vehicles were removed from the route with the help of JCB. A plan was made to take the people through the rough roads of fields to the road. As Ms. Singh was trying to reach the road with the first group, they had a narrow escape. As soon as the rioters noticed that people were being taken out of the temple to the road, they started firing towards the road. A bullet went past Ms. Singh very closely and lodged into a car parked nearby. There was total chaos at that time, but, somehow, they all managed to escape. Within one to two hours, all the devotees were taken out of the temple and made to sit in vehicles. Meanwhile the JCB came and cleared the road. And then everyone was whisked away in the vehicles to safety.

Ms. Singh said, “The situation was so worse that even when people were boarding the last bus and the bus was leaving the spot, firing was going. Really, it was a horrific experience for everyone. We did burst firing and more than 500 rounds of firing.”

BRAVED BULLETS AND FIRES

Till now, 156 people have been arrested in Nuh and 286 in the whole of Haryana. The rioting was not localized to just one place. First, it started at Adbar Chowk in Nuh, where a policeman also got shot in the stomach. Here, a crowd of more than 2-2.5 thousand people was pelting stones. But when the police reached, firing also started and a policeman got shot. The police first handled the situation at the Chowk, then moved towards Tiranga Park where rioters were lathi-charged. Then, police took over the situation at Nalhar turn.

Only after that, police started moving towards the temple where the mob had burnt all the vehicles within the range of 500 meters of the temple. And, then they took charge of the situation and managed to evacuate all the people holed up inside the temple to safety amidst a hail of bullets and stones, and fiercely burning fires all around.


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
ACC_Appointments Committee of Cabinet
ACC Clears Major Bureaucratic Reshuffle: 14 IAS Officers Get New Secretary Roles; Alka Upadhyaya Appointed NCM Secretary
GRSE MoU
GRSE Strengthens MSME Linkages Through MoU for Ship and Submarine Component Supply - Know More
GAIL RJ-ONHP
GAIL Commences First Exploratory Well Drilling in Rajasthan’s Barmer Block Under OALP-VII - All Details Inside
jkahja
Who Is IPS Rahul Lodha, the Officer Who Tracked Missing Civil Judge Aspirant Archana Tiwari & Solved Her Disappearance Mystery?
SAIL resized
SAIL Dividend 2025: PSU Declares September 9 as Record Date for Final Dividend of FY 2024-25
India Russia S400
Moscow Seeks Role in India’s Sudarshan Chakra Defence Project, Strengthening Strategic and Energy Ties - Know More
IRCON resized
Railway PSU IRCON Receives LOA worth Rs 510 Cr for Eight Eklavya Model Residential Schools in Meghalaya - Details Inside
SJVN Ltd
SJVN Achieves Milestone as 660 MW Unit of Buxar Thermal Power Project Joins National Grid - Know More
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Dr
Resisted Flawed Schemes, Transferred Thrice In Three Months, Found Solace In Writing
WhatsApp Image 2025-08-11 at 4.48
IAS SVR Srinivas on Mumbai Trans Harbour Link, Tough Calls, and the Real Power of IAS Officers | Video Interview
WhatsApp Image 2025-08-08 at 5.25
Dharavi Redevelopment: IAS Minds Turning 100-Year-Old Slum into a Modern City | Video Interview
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
IAS Minnu P M
“Lazy, Sleepy, Yet Determined”: Minnu P M’s Honest Take on Cracking UPSC
Minnu PM, once a clerk in Kerala Police, cleared UPSC with AIR 150 after five years of struggle. Her...
IPS Ashish Tiwari
From IIT and Investment Banking to Public Service, Meet IPS Ashish Tiwari 
Ashish Tiwari, IIT graduate and former investment banker, chose public service over global finance. As...
WhatsApp Image 2025-08-12 at 7.27
First Attempt IRS, Fourth Attempt IPS: The Relentless Pursuit of Jitendra Kumar Yadav Who Cracked UPSC 3 Times
IPS Yadav is originally from Chhattisgarh. He was first selected for the IRS through UPSC and later for...
Social Media
IFS Susanta Nanda Video
A Mother’s Duty: Tigress Watches Over Cubs Splashing in Waterhole — Heartwarming Video Shared By Retd. IFS Officer Susanta Nanda
A tender wildlife video shared by Retd. IFS officer Susanta Nanda shows a tigress keeping watch over...
Mohanmala
Kaziranga Mourns: Beloved Elephant Mohanmala Passes Away After Five Decades of Service
Kaziranga National Park mourns the loss of Mohanmala, a beloved elephant who served over 50 years as...
FEMINA
Women Warriors on the Cover: Femina India Celebrates Army’s Finest in August 2025 Special - Watch the Cover Shoot Inside
Femina India’s August 2025 cover pays tribute to ten Indian Army women officers, showcasing courage,...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
ACC_Appointments Committee of Cabinet
ACC Clears Major Bureaucratic Reshuffle: 14 IAS Officers Get New Secretary Roles; Alka Upadhyaya Appointed NCM Secretary
what-is-agentic-ai-use-cases
Agentic AI: Our New Partner for a Smarter Life
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Dr
WhatsApp Image 2025-08-11 at 4.48
WhatsApp Image 2025-08-08 at 5.25
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT