When authorities reached the site to demolish a mosque and seminary ruled found to be unlawfully situated on public land, they encountered hundreds of protesters.
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| Motorcycles Burnt and abandoned on a road following confrontations during a demolition initiative in Haldwani, Uttarakhand on February 9, 2024. |Photo Credit: Reuters |
The destruction of a mosque and a Muslim seminary has resulted in violent clashes and an internet blackout in northern India. This recent escalation of tensions in the hill state of Uttarakhand reflects the growing targeting of Muslim sites by the Hindu right-wing, following the inauguration of a significant temple last month.
The
extent of the violence remained uncertain. A local official in Haldwani, where
the clash occurred, mentioned in an interview that two individuals had lost
their lives and many others sustained injuries, including police personnel.
According to reports in the Indian news media, which quoted senior police
officers, the death toll stood at four; however, this could not be verified as
the police did not respond to requests for comment. Images from the area
depicted vehicles engulfed in flames and debris scattered across the streets.
On Thursday, the turmoil began when authorities and police arrived to demolish structures that were allegedly built illegally on public land, sparking a confrontation with an angry crowd. Witnesses reported that police used live ammunition and tear gas to disperse hundreds of protesters who were throwing stones at a police station and setting vehicles on fire. However, the police have denied using live ammunition.
The violence occurred within the
context of the increasing influence of Hinduism as a national identity in
India, a multiethnic state that was founded as a secular republic but has, in
the past decade, been moving away from that ideal under the leadership of
Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party.
During his 10-year tenure as prime
minister, Mr. Modi has delivered on numerous campaign pledges, such as
constructing a large temple in place of a mosque and revoking the
semiautonomous status of the Kashmir region.
Thursday's demolition was a component
of a broader government initiative that opposition leaders allege has been
singling out Muslims. In 2022, a court in Uttarakhand mandated the removal of
approximately 4,000 residences primarily occupied by Muslims in Haldwani,
situated on land that the court deemed to have encroached upon a railway line.
In January 2023, following weeks of
protests during which residents facing eviction notices camped out on the
street, “the top court in India issued a
stay” to halt the demolitions.
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The residents of Haldwani became emotional after the Supreme Court, on January 5, 2023, halted an Uttarakhand High Court decision to remove them from 29 acres of land owned by the Railways. | Photo Credit: ANI |
In the ensuing months, tensions
escalated as posters calling for Muslim traders to leave surfaced in
Uttarkashi's Purola town. Following an alleged abduction, shops owned by
Muslims in another town were marked with black crosses, and far-right-wing
groups urged Muslims to depart from Uttarakhand. The state, known for its many
Hindu shrines, has seen an increase in Hindu pilgrimages despite having a
population that comprises around 14 percent Muslims.
Recently, a court ruling paved the way for the destruction of a mosque and a seminary. Residents and a local elected representative expressed that the government hastily demolished these structures without consulting residents.
#हल्द्वानी: बेटी के बच्चे के लिए दूध लेने जा रहे पिता-पुत्र, जाहिद और अनस, की हल्द्वानी हिंसा में मौतमृतकों के परिजन मोहम्मद आरिफ से बात की @ravishranjanshu ने#Haldwani #HaldwaniRiots#Uttarakhand #Uttrakhand #HaldwaniIsBurning #HaldwaniViolence pic.twitter.com/4c6ZWtcImh— Muslim Spaces (@MuslimSpaces) February 10, 2024
On Friday, a curfew was enforced by
the authorities, schools and colleges were closed, and hundreds of riot control
forces were deployed.
The demolitions are not limited to Uttarakhand. In a recent
report, Amnesty International described the "unjust" targeting of
Muslim homes, businesses, and places of worship between April and June 2022 in
five states where the local governments are run by Mr. Modi’s ruling party.
The report urged authorities to stop the demolitions of Muslim
properties, stating that they were being carried out as a form of
"punishment" following episodes of religious violence or protests by
Muslims against discriminatory policies.
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The state imposed a curfew and issued shoot-at-sight orders following Haldwani communal violence, 6 Dead, 250 Injured. |
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