“Water bottles were filled with petrol, and clothes of policewomen were torn by attackers: Hindu activist narrates the horror of Haldwani violence”, Opindia, February 10, 2024:
“The agitators turned violent when the authorities used bulldozers to destroy the unauthorized madrassa and mosque in Uttarakhand’s Haldwani in response to a court order. The Banbhoolpura police station and petrol pump were lit on fire, stones were thrown, shots were fired, cars were damaged and a bulldozer’s glass was smashed. There was an attempt to burn the police personnel alive. Hindu activists assisted the cops and the victims during this time. Several policewomen had to undergo hospitalisation.
A member of Bajrang Dal who was present at the scene recounted what he witnessed to OpIndia. Haldwani resident Joginder Singh Rana described it as an unfortunate tragedy. He mentioned that he hadn’t experienced such an incident since gaining consciousness. He added that there had been rioting in 1992 during the disputed Babri structure’s demolition, however, such scale of violence didn’t take place even at the time. He reported that stones were hurled at cops and the clothes of female police personnel were torn off.
He detailed the arson of the petrol pump and police station in Banbhoolpura. He characterised it as a terrifying experience. According to Joginder Singh Rana, he spoke with police and administration officials on 8th February (Thursday) at 10 pm. They informed him that four hospitals in Haldwani had admitted between 100 and 150 cops from Gaya. The Hindu activists were requested by the police administration to tend to the injured cops…..”
Read the full article at Opindia.com
