Officials in a town in northern India put a curfew in place and told the police to shoot anyone who does not follow it. This came after fights over the building of a Muslim school and mosque led to at least five deaths and over 150 injuries.
On Thursday, there was violence in Haldwani, Uttarakhand. Because of this, the government shut down internet services and schools in the area. This was confirmed by Chief Radha Raturi.
Police officer A. Psaid that nearly 4,000 police officers rushed to the area and got the situation under control. He said the police were told to shoot protesters who didn’t follow the curfew.
On Thursday, a lot of people tried to stop government officials and police from tearing down the religious school and mosque. A court decided that the buildings were constructed on government land without permission.
As the violence got worse, the police used guns and tear gas to break up the protesters who were throwing petrol bombs and stones at them. They were attacking a police station and setting some vehicles on fire. Anshuman said this.
The head of the state police, Abhinav Kumar, said that five people were killed in the fighting. He didn’t give all the information but he said that there were no new violent incidents on Friday.
Government worker Vandana Singh Chauhan said that more than 150 police officers got hurt and many people had to go to the hospital.
Anshuman did not say if the police shooting caused the protesters to die. He also did not say what religion the victims were.
Haldwani is around 270 kilometres (170 miles) to the northeast of New Delhi.
Muslim groups and rights organizations say that India’s government, which is mainly made up of Hindus, has destroyed their homes and businesses before. Officials say they are only going after illegal buildings, but some people think they are unfairly punishing activists from minority groups. They call it “bulldozer justice. ”
Amnesty International said this week that bulldozers have destroyed homes, businesses, and places where Muslims worship. They said this was often done without warning and as an excuse to take over land illegally.
The Indian government is destroying Muslim homes, and this is being called “bulldozer justice” by some leaders and the media. This is very cruel and terrible. Agnes Callamard, who is the leader of the rights group, said that forcing people out of their homes is very unfair, not allowed by law and unfair because of treating people differently.
Between April and June 2022, researchers from the group found that in five states, authorities used demolitions as punishment after incidents of communal violence or protests. They recorded at least 128 demolitions during this time.
Many people have criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not doing anything about hate speech against Muslims in India, who make up 14% of the population.
Modi’s party says the accusations are not true.
Tag: Uttarakhand
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Indian town imposes curfew and directs police to shoot offenders
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Haldwani: Uttarakhand on high alert after four fatalities in disputes over demolition of mosque
At least four people died in fighting in a northern Indian state after officials tore down a mosque, saying it was built unlawfully.
Violence happened in Haldwani town in Uttarakhand during a police operation to remove illegal buildings.
Officials said they started a campaign to remove illegal buildings, including a mosque and a religious school.
Some Muslims who prayed at the mosque feel like they have been treated unfairly.
Many people got hurt in the fights between protesters and police on Thursday night.
Videos showed people breaking cars and throwing stones, and the police spraying tear gas at them.
A curfew is in place and the state has given orders to shoot anyone who poses a threat in order to control the situation.
The event happened in Banbhoolpura, Haldwani. Many people were upset last year when over 50,000 Muslims were told to leave land owned by the Indian Railways. They protested a lot in the district. India’s highest court stopped the demolitions.
Authorities have said that they are taking action to remove illegal settlements from the area, as ordered by the high court.
The government official, District Magistrate Vandana Singh, said that the mosque and the madrassa were destroyed because they were built on government land without permission and were not officially recognized as religious buildings.
The drive did not focus on any specific group of people. “It started calmly, but then a group of people attacked the officials, which caused a lot of fighting,” Ms. She also mentioned that the mosque was given a warning before it was torn down.
The people who live nearby say the mosque was destroyed before the court made a final decision about it.
“When the government arrived to tear down the buildings, we told them to wait until the next time we go to court. ” But they didn’t pay attention. “If they had waited for the court’s final decision, we wouldn’t have resisted,” said Shakeel Ahmad, a local council member, to the Indian Express newspaper.
Tensions about destroying mosques have increased recently.
Muslim groups are saying they feel singled out by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, which is Hindu-leaning. They accuse the government of creating religious division before the upcoming general elections in two months. The government says it did not do that thing.
On Friday, things were still tense in Haldwani as the authorities turned off the internet and ordered everything to close.
The schools in Banbhoolpura are closed for a few days, and many police officers are watching the area.
The violence happened a few days after Uttarakhand made a new law that applies to everyone, no matter their religion, sex, gender, or who they like.
In India, different religions have their own rules for marriage, divorce, and inheritance.
Muslims in Uttarakhand have said no to UCC because they think it will disturb their Islamic customs.