Haldwani: The Haldwani Municipal Corporation initiated a demolition drive targeting a madrasa and a mosque in the Banbhoolpura locality on February 8, as part of an anti-encroachment campaign. This action sparked a clash between local residents and law enforcement, during which police fired on protesters, resulting in the deaths of six persons. According to the SP (City), six rioters were killed during the violence in Haldwani, Uttarakhand, on Thursday, as reported by the news agency PTI."

According to media reports, the violence following the demolition prompted authorities to impose a curfew and issue shoot-on-sight orders. Uttarakhand's Director General of Police, Abhinav Kumar, confirmed to The Indian Express that five individuals lost their lives during the clashes, while 100 police personnel sustained injuries as reported by ANI.

The demolished structures, known as the Mariyam mosque and the Abdul Razzaq Zakariya madrasa, had been established in 2002 within Banbhoolpura's Company Bagh locality and were under the care of Abdul Malik and his wife, Safia Malik.

Pankaj Upadhyay, Haldwani’s municipal commissioner, informed news portal Scroll that these structures were erected on nazul land, designated for public use by the government. Upadhyay stated that a notice had been served to Abdul Malik on January 30, notifying him of the impending demolition.

However, on February 6, Safia Malik approached the Uttarakhand High Court, alleging that the land housing the mosque and madrasa had been leased out in 1937 and subsequently sold to her family in 1994. She highlighted the pending lease renewal application since 2007 and sought interim relief against the demolition, particularly emphasizing the madrasa's role in providing education to underprivileged children.

Although Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami asserted that the anti-encroachment drive was sanctioned by a court directive, a copy of the order by Justice Pankaj Purohit indicated that the matter was merely listed for a hearing on February 14.

Despite the absence of a court order, the municipal corporation proceeded with the demolition, prompting allegations of procedural irregularities from Malik's legal counsel, Ahrar Baig. Baig contended that due process had not been followed and accused the corporation of acting unlawfully.

The legal petition filed by Malik in the Uttarakhand High Court, along with accompanying documents, provided insights into the sequence of events leading up to the confrontation on February 8. It also outlined the ongoing dispute between the Malik family and local authorities since 2020 when a portion of the madrasa was initially demolished.

The demolition in Haldwani appears to reflect a broader policy of dismantling Islamic structures deemed "illegal" by the BJP-led Uttarakhand government. However, despite warnings from leaders within the BJP's minority wing, including Zaheer Ansari and Ziyauddin Qureshi, concerning the potential repercussions, the demolition proceeded.

The swift action by the municipal corporation, coupled with political interventions, has sparked speculation about the underlying motivations behind the demolition, particularly in the context of impending elections.