At least five people were killed and more than 150 injured in clashes over the construction of an Islamic seminary and mosque in a northern Indian town, prompting authorities to impose an indefinite curfew and force police to shoot violators. the order, authorities announced Friday.
Uttarakhand state government official Radha Raturi said Thursday’s violence prompted authorities to shut down internet services and schools in Haldwani.
AP Anshuman said around 4,000 police officers rushed to the spot and the situation was brought under control. He said police had been ordered to shoot demonstrators who violated the curfew.
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Anshuman said Thursday that thousands of protesters met with government officials who arrived to demolish the seminary and mosque following a court order saying the structure was being built on state land without local permission. tried to stop the police.
As the violence escalated, police fired live ammunition and tear gas to disperse the protesters, attacked a police station with petrol bombs and stones, and set several vehicles on fire, Anshuman said.
State police chief Abhinav Kumar said five people were killed in the violence. He did not provide further details, but said no new acts of violence were reported on Friday.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami (right) meets an injured police officer on Friday, February 9, 2024. (Pushkar Singh Dhami, X, via AP)
Government administrator Vandana Singh Chouhan said more than 150 police personnel were injured and several were hospitalized.
Anshuman did not say whether any protesters were killed in police firing. He also did not reveal the victim’s religion.
Haldwani is about 270 miles northeast of New Delhi.
Muslim and human rights groups have accused India’s Hindu nationalist government of destroying homes and businesses in the past. Officials have defended their actions, saying they were only targeting illegal construction, but critics say it is a pattern of expanding “bulldozer justice” aimed at punishing minority activists. criticizing.
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In a report released this week, Amnesty International condemned multiple instances of bulldozers destroying Muslim homes, businesses and places of worship, saying these acts can be carried out without proper notice under the guise of trespassing. He said there are many.
“The illegal demolition of Muslim properties by Indian authorities, touted by political leaders and the media as “bulldozer justice,” is cruel and horrific. Such evictions and deprivations are extremely unjust, illegal, and discriminatory. “Yes,” said the rights group’s secretary Agnès Callamard. general.
The group’s researchers found that between April and June 2022, authorities in five states carried out demolitions as punishment after incidents of mass violence and protests, documenting at least 128 demolitions during this period. I discovered that.
Critics and opponents have long accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of turning a blind eye to Muslims, who make up 14% of India’s 1.4 billion people, and at times condoning hate speech.
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Prime Minister Modi’s Bhartiya Janata Party denies the accusations.
