Curfew In Uttarakhand’s Haldwani, 4 Dead And 250 Injured, Schools Shut (image-screen grab/twitter/Angryman_J)
Four people are dead and 250 injured in Uttarakhand’s Haldwani in violence that unfolded on Thursday over the demolition of an “illegally built” madrassa and mosque. The incident occurred on Thursday. The city was under curfew with a shoot-at-sight order issued against the ‘rioters’ and the internet connectivity in the area was completely taken down, reports NDTV.
The event unfolded when a bulldozer razed the mosque and madrassa following a court order. The government officials were accompanied by significant police presence during the occurrence of the incident. The authorities stated illegal construction of the building as the reason for their demolition. But this move was met with fierce resistance from the mob in the Vanbhulpura area of Haldwani.
The mob angered by the incident pelted stones at the officials which prompted the policemen to use tear gas. The clash resulted in injuring 50 policemen. Several administration officials, municipal workers, and journalists were also caught in the crossfire. The violence escalated further prompting the mob to set the vehicles parked outside the police station on fire.
Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) took the action aiming to clear government land allegedly encroached upon by the madrassa and mosque. When the bulldozer razed the structure, the angry mob came onto the street protesting. As per the report, they broke the barricade and engaged in a heated confrontation with the police. The mob targeted 20 motorcycles and set ablaze a PAC-2 bus.
Municipal Commissioner Pankaj Upadhyay claimed that the madrassa and mosque were illegal as the Haldwani civic body had previously seized three acres of nearby land and sealed the structures. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, responding to the incident stated that the team was dispatched after a court order. He further stressed that the anti-social element in the area clashed with the police which led to the current situation. By appealing to the public to maintain peace, he said that additional forces will be deployed to restore order.
In a high-level meeting with senior officials, the chief minister also reviewed the situation and discussed the necessity for a shoot-at-sight policy against rioters.
A curfew has been imposed in the region, and schools and shops are shut down in the affected area. The Uttarakhand High Court had a hearing on Thursday on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking a halt to the demolition. But the court didn’t grant relief and thus demolition continued. The matter is now posted on February 14 for further hearing
