Topic: Haldwani

The Uttarakhand High Court has granted default bail to 50 Muslims who were arrested following protests by Muslims in Haldwani against the demolition of a madrasa in February this year. The Uttarakhand Police and Hindu mobs violently attacked the protesters, resulting in the killing of five people.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday criticised the Indian Railways for attempting to evict around 4,000 families – mostly Muslims – in Uttarakhand’s Haldwani using orders passed in a public interest litigation, instead of following the proper legal procedure. The top court stated that the authorities should ensure the rehabilitation of people before evicting them to secure land for the development of Haldwani railway station.

Abdul Malik (64), a resident of Haldwani, Uttarakhand, who was arrested on 24 February by the Uttarakhand Police under the draconian UAPA in connection with the Haldwani protest, in which half a dozen Muslims were killed in police firing, alleged that he is falsely implicated in the case as he was not even present during the incident.

Days after the police killings that shook Uttarakhand’s Haldwani on 8 February over protests against the demolition of a Madrasa and mosque in the Banbhoolpura area, the police have begun confiscating the houses of Muslims named in the FIR.

Haldwani Municipal Corporation's demolition of Maryam Masjid and Abdul Razzaq Zakariya Madrasa, coupled with police brutality, resulted in several deaths and numerous injuries; a fact-finding report suggests that local Muslims fear the death toll may exceed 20, while officials claim it's 6, with the report asserting at least 7 deaths.

Thousands joined a mass rally and fraternal conference organized by Jama’at-e-Islami Hind Kerala State Committee in Kozhikode on Wednesday under the title "Resist Hindutva."