Haldwani violence: Uttarakhand Police books over 5,000 people, curfew continues

By Manzoor-ul-Hassan

Feb 10, 2024

01:54 pm

What's the story

The Uttarakhand Police has registered a first information report (FIR) against over 5,000 persons, including 19 named individuals, for the violence in Haldwani, Uttarakhand, which killed six people and injured over 100 others. Violent clashes erupted in the city after a madrasa (religious school) and a mosque were demolished during an anti-encroachment drive. Several accused have been arrested and more are being identified, according to police. They said the situation was under control with a curfew in place.

Incident

Guilty will be tried under NSA: Uttarakhand DGP

Speaking to the media, Director General of Police (DGP) Uttarakhand, Abhinav Kumar, said those involved in the violence and attacks on police personnel would be tried under the National Security Act. He said the police's focus was on restoring normalcy within 24 hours. The clashes took place on Thursday between officials conducting an anti-encroachment drive and residents in Haldwani's Banbhoolpura area. A police station was also allegedly attacked by a mob, which forced the district administration to issue "shoot-at-sight" orders.

Action

1,200 police, CAPF personnel deployed in Haldwani

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Nainital PN Meena said the situation was brought into control after at least 1,200 police and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel were deployed in Haldwani. He said police had registered an FIR and were checking CCTV footage and other evidence. A total of six deaths occurred in the violence, with two deaths reported on Friday. "After post-mortem only we will only get to know how they died," Meena said.

Twitter Post

Watch: SSP Meena speaks about Haldwani violence, police action

#WATCH | Haldwani violence | Prahalad Narayan Meena, SSP, Nainital says, " In Haldwani, the situation is under our control, along with our local forces, CAPF is also being deployed. We have registered FIR, we are checking the CCTV footage, and evidence is being collected...total… pic.twitter.com/o0Rn6uSAMc
— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) February 9, 2024

Reactions

Reactions from political leaders and plans for restoration

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami visited Haldwani and called the violence a "planned attack," alleging that there had been a stockpiling of arms, stones, and petrol bombs. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MPs termed the Haldwani violence a "conspiracy" and demanded strict action. Separately, Indian Union Muslim League MP ET Mohammed Basheer said in Parliament that such incidents would bring suffering to the country. He also blamed the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) bill passed in the Uttarakhand Assembly for this.