Following the demolition of an “illegal” madrassa in Haldwani, Uttarakhand, police said on Sunday that twenty-five more people had been arrested in relation to the February 8 riots. A delegation of two Muslim bodies had visited the area and claimed that protesters were being treated differently because of their religion.
Prahlad Meena, the senior superintendent of police in Nainital, said that with the recent arrests, there are now thirty persons in custody. He also mentioned that Abdul Malik, a major offender, will soon be apprehended.
The destruction of an illegally constructed madrassa in the Banbhoolpura district sparked riots on Thursday. Residents threw stones and petrol bombs at police and municipal employees, forcing several police officers to take cover in a police station, which the crowd then set on fire.
Six rioters were slain in the incident, while the police said that over a hundred others were wounded, including media representatives and law enforcement officers.
The curfew was removed from Banbhoolpura’s outside regions but remained in effect within the town. Banbhoolpura’s roads were empty and its stores remained closed.
In order to stop people in the vicinity from spreading rumors on social media, internet services were also halted.
There are now close to 1,100 security guards stationed around the area. Additionally, in order to maintain peace and order in Banbhoolpura, the state administration has requested four companies, each with around 100 members, of central paramilitary troops from the Home Ministry.
A team from the Uttarakhand Congress met with Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami throughout the day, requesting an unbiased investigation into the violence.
Dhami informed the delegation headed by Assembly Leader of Opposition Yashpal Arya that the state government had moved immediately to uphold peace and order in the region affected by the riots and that a magisterial investigation was being conducted by the Kumaon commissioner, who would provide his findings in 15 days.
The chief minister vowed to take tough measures against the perpetrators of the violence.
“Action against the rioters and disorderly elements involved in the violence in Haldwani is ongoing.” One by one, the rioters are being taken into custody. The chief minister said in a post on X that “the fight against illegal encroachments in the state will not stop.”
Speaking to the media on Sunday night, SSP Meena said that the majority of the recent arrests had occurred inside the boundaries of the Nainital district within the previous twenty-four hours.
Those who were detained possessed seven firearms and fifty-four live cartridges that had reportedly been seized from the Banbhoolpura police station, the police official added.
When asked whether Abdul Malik, a major accused, was among those detained, the SSP said that he will be taken into custody shortly.
Malik was purportedly the builder of the illicit building, the destruction of which set off the violence.
A group of delegates from the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind and Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind paid a visit to Haldwani on Sunday.
Maulana Arshad Madani, the head of Jamiat, denounced the police action in Haldwani and described the delegation’s findings as very distressing.
He stated, “According to the report, the police are arresting people by breaking all limits of cruelty and abuse, even breaking doors and forcibly entering houses,” making accusations that harassed both males and women.
“We also sent the Uttarakhand DGP a letter yesterday requesting that this matter be given urgent attention. He said that “the nefarious series of arrests that have begun should be stopped immediately, in addition to the abuse of innocent citizens.”
Madani said that a thorough probe of the whole affair is necessary. Protesting against the government by locals is not illegal, he added.
He said that locals were staging a demonstration against municipal officials who had arrived at the location with bulldozers, and the police “used lathicharge and started firing” to put an end to it.
Madani said that the police “become a party against Muslims everywhere” rather than upholding law and order, yet they behave differently in situations involving other people.
“Discrimination on the basis of religion among (different groups of) protesters is deplorable,” he said.
The leader of the other Jamiat group, Maulana Mahmood Madani, has sent Union Home Minister Amit Shah a letter expressing his deep worry about the situation in Haldwani.
He questioned the demolition’s quickness and insisted that a long-term solution be found for demolitions, especially when they include houses of worship.