Four days after a mosque and a madrasa were demolished in Uttarakhand’s Haldwani city, leading to violence that left five dead and dozens injured, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami announced on Monday that a police station would be built at the spot.
“In Banbhoolpura (the locality in Haldwani where the demolition took place), there was a bagicha (garden) that had been encroached upon. That encroachment has been removed, and several acres of land was recovered. On that land, arson and stone-pelting took place (on Thursday), disturbance was caused, all laws were broken, and our journalist brothers were thrown into fire… From this holy bank of Mother Ganga, I announce that a police station will be built at that place,” Dhami said during an event in Haridwar.
Posting a clip of his speech on his X account, he also said, “This is a clear message from our government to the miscreants and rioters that no one who plays with the peace of Devbhoomi will be spared, there is no place for such miscreants in Uttarakhand.”
Violence erupted last Thursday after the administration razed a mosque and a madrasa in the Banbhoolpura region of Haldwani, Nainital district.
Six people were killed and dozens injured as locals, allegedly with stones and petrol bombs, clashed with police and musical workers in the Banbhoolpura area of Haldwani over demolition drive on a madrasa and a mosque, which officials deemed "illegal".
Around 30 people have been arrested in connection with the violence so far.
In the violence, more than a hundred, including police personnel and mediapersons, were injured.
A magisterial probe was ordered on Saturday into the riots after, while curfew was lifted from the outer areas of town but remained in force in Banbhoolpura, the epicentre of the mob violence.
Nearly 1,100 security personnel are already deployed in the town, while the state government has sought four companies -- containing about 100 personnel each -- of central paramilitary forces from the Home Ministry to maintain law and order in Banbhoolpura.
