On 11th February, a video of Abdul Malik, the mastermind behind the Haldwani violence, surfaced on social media. Malik, who was arrested on Sunday, was seen threatening the Mayor, who had come to take possession of the illegally encroached land. Notably, a person identified as Javed Siddiqui who is the brother of SP leader Mateen Siddiqui, and former councillor Jishan Parvez have also been arrested in a matter related to Haldwani violence.
हल्द्वानी हिंसा का मास्टरमाइंड अब्दुल मलिक का बहस करते विडियो
— News24 (@news24tvchannel) February 11, 2024
◆ नगर आयुक्त संग बहसक करते दिखा अब्दुल मलिक#HaldwaniRiots | #Uttarakhand | #abdulmalik pic.twitter.com/3J39CzjIUP
The madarsa in Banboolpura, which became the centre of violence, was served notice to vacate in January. An old video from January has surfaced on social media where Malik was seen arguing with Pankaj Upadhyay, Mayor of the city. In the video, Malik said, “I have a 99-year lease for this land, and you are asking us to vacate it.” When Upadhyay asked to show papers, Malik told him to check records in the municipality office.
Malik added, “This lease has expired, and we have not converted this land to freehold. In Haldwani, most of the land is on leasehold, and very few people have converted it to freehold. We will not vacate the land.”
Upadhyay was visibly angered by Malik’s sheer arrogance, who admitted that the lease was over and that they were illegally encroaching on the land. He said, “Your land lease has expired… You have not converted it to freehold. I am taking possession of the land; you can go wherever you want. You must vacate this place immediately.”
Abdul Malik arrested
Malik has been arrested from Delhi on 11th February. The situation in Haldwani is under control, and the authorities are capturing the rioters. Five protesters, including two councillors, a mining businessman and brother of the Samajwadi Party leader, have been arrested in Banbhoolpura. Abdul Malik’s name emerged as one of the key conspirators of the violence that erupted after authorities went to demolish an illegal mosque and madarsa. Malik was reportedly absconding since the riots took place. Two squads were dispatched to western Uttar Pradesh to arrest him. Over seventy-five individuals have been held and interrogated.
Haldwani violence
On 8th February, an illegal madrasa and mosque built on government land in Banbhoolpura were demolished. It resulted in a wave of violence across Uttarakhand’s Haldwani, leaving at least six people dead. Superintendent of Police Harbans Singh confirmed the same on 9th February. Uttarakhand authorities have registered three First Information Reports (FIR) against 5000 unnamed, and 19 known individuals. As the administration is taking action against the mobsters, intellectuals and left-liberals have come out in support of the encroachers-turned-rioters who attacked the police personnel on the eventful day.
