Fact-finding team says Haldwani violence not a sudden eruption
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Haldwani: A citizens' fact-finding team has reported that the police firing and conflict in Uttarakhand's Haldwani, Uttarakhand in which six people were killed on the 8th of this month did not happen suddenly. The report said that the February 8 incident of violence at Banbhulpura in Haldwani was a continuation of the anti-minority campaigns and evictions carried out by the BJP government and extreme right-wing organizations over the years.
The fact-finding team comprising Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR), Karawan-e-Mohabbat and civil rights activist Sahid Qadri visited Haldwani on February 14 and prepared the report. The report includes information gathered by the team through meetings with local residents, journalists, writers, lawyers and a few unnamed individuals.
The state government, led by Chief Minister Pushkar Dhami, and radical right-wing citizen groups have contributed to a highly polarizing narrative with disturbing elements. The discourse includes creating Uttarakhand as a holy land for Hindus, excluding other religious minorities. Claims of various alleged forms of Jihad, economic and social boycotts of Muslims, and eviction threats have fueled the divisive atmosphere.
The government actions led by Pushkar Dhami, who made many false accusations against Muslims like love jihad, land jihad, trade jihad, mashar jihad, etc., and economic and social boycotts and threats of eviction, fueled the communal discrimination.The Chief Minister has repeatedly announced that his government will take the strongest action against jihadists. The chief minister proudly declared the destruction of 3000 masars (dargahs) as an achievement of his government. At the same time, the government remained silent against the illegal construction of Hindu places of worship in forest and government land, says the report.
In the case of Haldwani madrasa, despite the matter being contested in the court, locals claim that the Uttarakhand authority came to demolish the mosque. This they said was the reason why angry people protested, which in turn led to the violence.
The report noted that Haldwani, which has a sizeable Muslim population, has already experienced minor communal tensions and disputes. A long-running dispute arose over Indian Railways' claims to the land, which is home to tens of thousands of Muslims. Disputes over ownership in Muslim-majority areas also arose. Most recently, an eviction of a nearly six-acre plot of land owned by Sofia Malik resulted in shootings and murders.
The area remained relatively calm till the evening of February 8. The outrage was caused when the municipal officials came to demolish the mosque and the madrasah, accompanied by the police. Police forcefully removed and beat up women who stopped the bulldozers and refused to hand over sacred items including the Quran before the mosque was demolished which fueled the anger. In the ensuing violence, both sides pelted stones and the tension escalated, the report said.
The violence spread quickly. The mob set fire to vehicles near the police station. Some parts of the police station were burnt. The police responded by firing. There are conflicting reports about at what point the firing began and when the order to fire was given.
The official figure is that six people were killed, but locals say the actual number could be much higher. After the shooting, the police conducted extensive searches in about 300 houses. Reports indicate that residents, including women and children, were beaten up and property destroyed.
Several individuals, including youth, women and minors, were reportedly detained and taken to undisclosed locations for questioning. Days-long curfews and internet bans have worsened the situation. Due to this, the locals told the fact-finding team, they were not even able to convey the real information to the outside world.
