A riotous mob attacked police officers and the Haldwani Municipal Corporation team on Thursday (8th February), injuring over 300 officers. The mob attacked the police and the municipal corporation team after they demolished an illegal madarsa built on illegally encroached government land. Speaking to IndiaToday, Hema Joshi, a police officer deployed during the riots said that the police team had to run for their lives during the violence. Joshi added that she was not sure if she would come out alive safely.
“We tried to run for our lives but got stuck in the narrow lanes. I got really scared and I wasn’t sure if I would come out safely,” Joshi said.
Officer Joshi stated that all roads were blocked because the rioters burned down all vehicles parked near the roads. “It seemed like they were waiting for the right time to attack us”, Joshi said.
“We were deployed at the location at 4.30 PM and the rioters attacked us immediately. The attack seemed pre-planned”, another police officer Munesh said. Joshi added that when the rioters started stone pelting, the police tried to bring the situation under control, however, the violent mob did not listen.
As reported earlier, a woman officer injured in the riots said, “We sought refuge in a house to shield ourselves from the stone-throwing when approximately 15 -20 individuals barged in, attacked us, stones were being hurled on us from all the sides, even from the rooftops. They also attempted to set the house ablaze, evidently with the intent to burn us alive. They wanted to burn us alive.”
The officer informed that the rioters abused the person who saved the police officials and went on to damage his house. “We barely managed to survive. There was stone pelting from all directions. The bylanes had been blocked. We managed to send out our locations. The man who saved us was attacked. His house was damaged. Eventually, the force came and rescued us. But even during the rescue, shards of glass were being thrown at us. We somehow made it through,” the police officer said.
Another police officer who escaped the attack in Haldwani stated that the rioters came from the streets and hurled stones. The police officer said that bullets were fired at him when he returned. Machete-wielding Islamist rioters also opened fire on them. The rioters destroyed a municipal corporation tractor, a patrol vehicle, and many motorcycles.
Meanwhile, in a press conference on Friday, Nainital DM Vandana Singh said that the Haldwani violence against the police and municipal corporation team was pre-planned. “The demolition drive started peacefully, the force was deployed for prevention…Stones were pelted on our Municipal Corporation’s team…It was planned that the day the demolition drive will be conducted, the forces would be attacked…The first mob with stones were dispersed & the second mob that came in had petrol bombs. This was unprovoked and our team did not use any force…,” Singh said.
It is pertinent to note that the action by the police municipal corporation authorities against the illegal construction on government land was taken after the Uttarakhand High Court did not grant relief to the petitioners Safia Malik and others seeking a stay on the demolition exercise.
