“‘I will not vacate, do what you want’: Watch how Abdul Malik threatened Mayor over encroached land, weeks before violence in Haldwani”, Opindia, February 11, 2024:
“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.
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….”
Read the full article at Opindia.com
