On Thursday, February 8, an incident of stone pelting and arson was reported in Uttarakhand’s Haldwani area. According to reports, the mob attacked authorities who went there to demolish a madarsa built on illegally encroached govt land near the Banbhulpura police station under the ongoing drive against illegal encroachments.
The irate mob reportedly pelted stones at the policemen and Haldwani Municipal Corporation workers present there. Later, they surrounded the police station and went on to set fire to the vehicles stationed outside the Banbhulpura police station.
The mob also set a transformer on fire, resulting in a power outage in the area. Several journalists and administration officials were trapped inside the police station as a mob surrounded the Banbhulpura police station.
A few policemen, Municipal corporation workers including SDM were reportedly injured in the incident.
The police used tear gas to disperse the crowd and prevent the situation from escalating.
Videos of the violent clash surfaced on X (formerly known as Twitter) showing how the frenzied mob indulged in arson and stone pelting leaving several police officers injured and police vehicles gutted in fire.
BIG BREAKING: Muslim mob attacked police and journalists, pelting stones and setting vehicles outside the police station on fire, in response to the Administration's attempt to demolish an illegal Madrasa.
Several cops, journalists injured.
📍Banbhoolpura, Haldwani, Uttarakhand pic.twitter.com/4nHChEMT6T
— Treeni (@_treeni) February 8, 2024
Stones were pelted at the administration and police team that went to demolish the Madrasa in Banbhoolpura, #Haldwani. Many police personnel and journalists injured, also miscreants set vehicles parked outside the police station on fire. pic.twitter.com/iHP5xnRFnI
— Nikhil Choudhary (@NikhilCh_) February 8, 2024
Presently, an additional police force has been deployed in the area and senior officials of police and administration have reached the spot.
According to news agency ANI, DM Nainital has imposed a curfew in Banbhulpura and ordered a shoot-on-sight order for rioters.
The incident occurred when the Municipal Corporation team, led by Municipal Commissioner Pankaj Upadhyay, City Magistrate Richa Singh, and SDM Paritosh Verma, utilized heavy machinery, including a JCB machine, to raze the illegal structure located in Malik’s garden under the Banbhulpura area of Haldwani.
Officials said that they had sent a notice to the management of the madarsa-mosque informing them that the structure had been illegally built near the Banbhulpura police station. The madarsa management, in turn, could not furnish any documents substantiating that the structure was not illegally constructed. Moreover, the Corporation had previously seized three acres of land near the site of the illegal madrasa and namaz place, which they now demolished.
Reports suggest that Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami is conducting a meeting with top authorities to assess the situation.
Source: OpIndia
