Haldwani Violence: Death Toll Rises to 5, Case Booked against 5,000 Persons, NSA to Be Invoked

Five people have been arrested for allegedly being involved in the attack on the police station in the Haldwani violence which broke out on Thursday over the demolition of an illegally built madrasa, the police said on Friday.

Haldwani (Uttarakhand):A case has been registered against 5,000 unidentified persons in connection with the violence that broke out over the demolition of an illegally built madrasa here on Thursday, the police said on Friday. Apart from this, five persons were arrested out of 19, who were booked following the violence, they said.

The death toll has risen to five. As many as 300 persons sustained injuries and the condition of three is said to be critical and they are undergoing treatment at Sushil Tiwari Hospital. Action under the National Security Act (NSA) will be taken against unruly elements, who were involved in arson and vandalism,said Abhinav Kumar, the DGP, Uttarakhand.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, along with Chief Secretary Radha Raturi and DGP Abhinav Kumar, visited Haldwani on Friday and took stock of the situation a day after the clashes. It was a 'planned attack' on police personnel, he said.

DGP Abhinav Kumar said that the priority of the police is to normalise the situation in the city and it is expected that in the next 24 hours, everything will be normal. The police have to identify the miscreants, who instigated violence in Haldwani, pelted stones at the police and were involved in arson by throwing petrol bombs.

Meanwhile, Chief Secretary Radha Raturi on Friday held a meeting with the officials on the situation and said, "The first effort of the government is to restore peace. The situation in Haldwani will be normalised as soon as possible. I appeal to the people through the media not to spread rumours."

A joint team of administration and the Municipal Corporation Haldwani reached the 'Malik Ka Bagicha' area in Banbhulpura police station area to demolish the illegal madrasa and religious place where Muslims offer prayers. As soon as the joint team started demolishing the illegal building, the local people started pelting stones at the administration and Municipal Corporation Haldwani team.

Nainital District Magistrate Vandana Singh said that the police team present on the spot tried to convince the people, but they were not ready to pay heed, after which the situation went out of control. According to Nainital District Magistrate Vandana Singh, the miscreants surrounded the Banbhulpura police station and tried to set it on fire. The miscreants also set fire to the vehicles parked outside the police station.

On Thursday evening, the administration imposed a curfew in the Banbhulpura police station area of Haldwani and ordered shoot-at-sight.

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