The Director General of Police in Uttarakhand has told The Indian Express that they are looking into “rumours” of deaths in the Haldwani violence. He also said the mob had surrounded a police station, and additional forces had to be called to ward them off.
DGP Abhinav Kumar said the police and administration teams had gone to the area to remove an illegal encroachment for which there was already litigation in the High Court, which had ordered its removal.
Shakeel Ahmad, Councillor of Ward Number 31, under which the incident took place, however told The Indian Express that the High Court had not given a final decision in the case of removing illegal encroachment.
“Some miscreants started stone pelting and violence. The exact sequence of events that led to this kind of situation is a matter of administrative inquiry. We will check what was the cause for this kind of public anger, and if there is some conspiracy, we will look into it,” said Kumar.
He said that the rioting went on for three-four hours starting around 5.30 pm, and by 9 pm, the situation was brought under control.
“There are some rumours of deaths, but as of now, I do not have any confirmed information of any casualty in this incident. The mob had also surrounded Banbhoolpura police station and set some vehicles on fire, but reinforcement was sent to the spot and the police station was saved. We are still assessing the property damage. On Friday morning, the Chief Secretary and ADG Law and Order will fly to Haldwani to do a proper assessment of the situation,” said Kumar.
Talking about the force used by the police, he said that when faced with a violent mob that resorts to stone pelting, arson, and sometimes even illegal firearms, as per provisions of the law police are authorised to fire back in self-defence.
“I have been told that there were some firing incidents (from the side of the police). But we are still gathering information about the exact number of rounds fired,” he said.
Asked if the incident, which took place in a Muslim-dominated area a day after the Uttarakhand government passed the Uniform Civil Code Bill in the Assembly, shows an intelligence failure, he said that they will investigate all aspects related to the incident, including the preparedness of the police and what kind of inputs they had.
“We will take appropriate action. We have an extensive videographic record of today’s violence and in the days to come, we will identify all miscreants and take suitable action against them. We have zero tolerance against such incidents,” he said.
Ahmad, the ward councillor, meanwhile said, “The next date of hearing was February 14 and when the administration came, we requested them to stop until then. We said that we will not stop the administration from demolishing the structure if the court decision is against us. But they did not listen… If they had waited for the final decision of the High Court, there would have been no resistance,” said Ahmad.
In a statement, the Nainital District Magistrate’s office said all losses will be compensated by the rioters and their posters will be released to gather information. “The police and administration have shown patience. Our campaign against illegal encroachment is not going to stop,” said the statement.
Aisha Patel is a dedicated Indian correspondent with a deep understanding of the nation’s diverse affairs. With a background in Indian culture, politics, and current events, she provides in-depth analysis and timely reporting on domestic issues within India.
