Indian authorities responded by suspending internet service and deploying thousands of paramilitary and police forces to the region as the deadly sectarian violence spread towards India's sprawling capital city.
The violence originated from a procession led by right-wing Hindu groups, Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad, through a Muslim-majority area in Haryana's Nuh district. Among the injured were two police officers, according to officials.
Sources revealed that the clash was triggered by Monu Manesar, a cow vigilante and Bajrang Dal member wanted in several criminal cases, including the murder of two Muslim men in Rajasthan last February. In a video, he announced his participation in the rally.
"Our first priority is to bring the situation under control. We are appealing to all to maintain peace. We are also trying to send forces by helicopter," said Haryana home minister Anil Vij, as quoted by the Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency.
In response to the escalating clashes, police used teargas and fired rounds into the air to disperse crowds as the violence extended to the Delhi suburbs of Gurugram, Faribad, and Palwal. Additionally, the police imposed a ban on assemblies of four or more people in the affected areas.
Hindu-Muslim tension in India has been increasing in recent years, with critics often accusing the Hindu state of turning a blind eye and doing little to stop the violence by Hindu groups.