Uttarakhand: High Alert in Haldwani After Violence
2 dead, 250 injured in Haldwani violence during illegal madrasa & mosque demolition ordered by court.
Extreme violence took place In Haldwani, near Nainital, Uttarakhand on 8th February 2024. 5 to 6 people died & 250 were injured in widespread violence. The situation was so extreme that the Uttarakhand government had to issue a “shoot at sight” order, impose a curfew and shut down internet services completely in Haldwani. According to reports, the violence started in the afternoon. A team of government officials, accompanied by policemen, came to demolish a madrasa and the adjoining mosque-like structure after the court orders. The madrasa and mosque were allegedly built illegally on “nazool land” (owned by the state government). Therefore, the structure was declared illegal by the administration and the court had ordered its demolition. The Uttarakhand High Court had a hearing on 8th February 2024 itself to halt the demolition but the court did not grant relief and the demolition continued. However, this move was met with fierce resistance from residents of Vanbhulpura area of Haldwani. As the bulldozer demolished the structures, angry residents, including women, came to the streets to protest. They broke the barricades and clashed with the police. Several administration officials, municipal workers, and journalists got caught in the crossfire (maara-maari). The protesters threw stones at the officials, cops, municipal workers, and journalists. This prompted the police to use tear gas but the protesters didn’t stop. They escalated the violence by setting more than 20 motorcycles, a security bus & a petrol pump on fire outside the police station. The protesters even tried to set policemen inside the police station on fire. Over 50 policemen got injured suffering from head & face wounds and the police station was vandalized. Gun and bullets were looted from the police station. Nainital District Magistrate Vandana Singh said “Police did not provoke anyone. Despite that, they were attacked, a police station was vandalized and the rioters tried to burn police personnel inside the station.” Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami has dispatched a new team to carry out the demolition and deployed additional police and central forces to restore law & order. As a precautionary measure, a curfew was also imposed throughout Haldwani. Shops and schools have been closed in the affected areas. All the injured officials, workers & journalists are being treated in the hospital. Till now 30 people have been arrested. The gun and bullets looted from the police station have been recovered from those arrested. numerous locally manufactured weapons too were recovered. Police said that the madrasa and the mosque was allegedly built by Abdul Malik and he is the mastermind behind the riots and would be nabbed soon.
