Dehradun: Communal tension persists in Uttarakhand’s capital following the murder of a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) functionary, Vinod Kumar, on Saturday, June 13, with reports of riots, large-scale violence, arson, and stone-pelting.
The arrest of Imtiaz, 58, on Monday, June 15, took the total number of arrests to five, while a first information report (FIR) was registered against 100 to 150 unidentified rioters, PTI reported.
A mob in the Bairagiwala village allegedly killed Vinod following an altercation with over 40 people, armed with lathis, wooden planks, hammers, and shovels, who stormed his house and assaulted his family. Vinod died on the spot after being struck on the head with a hammer, police said.
The altercation was triggered by a dispute over irrigation water.
Subsequently, a case under sections 103 (murder), 109 (attempt to murder), 191 (2) (rioting) and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) was registered against 12 suspects and 30-40 unidentified people.
Violence the following day, police injured
Violence erupted on Sunday morning, June 14, allegedly targeting police personnel and properties belonging to the accused. According to the FIR, when a police team comprising Inspector Manmohan Singh Negi and Sahaspur police station in-charge Pradeep Singh Rawat arrived at Bairagiwala village on Sunday morning to investigate the murder, they saw a crowd of 100 to 150 people had gathered at the house of the deceased, and the atmosphere was tense.
District administration and police tried to pacify the crowd and requested them to cooperate with legal proceedings. However, unidentified miscreants grew aggressive, started raising slogans and demanded immediate public punishment for the murder accused.
Between 11 am and 2 pm on Sunday, the mob surrounded the residence of one of the murder accused, Masoom, the FIR read. When the authorities tried to intervene, the rioters pelted stones at police and administrative officials from nearby fields and other locations. Several police personnel, including Premnagar Station House Officer Naresh Rathore, Head Constable Pravindra Kumar and Constable Vikas Tyagi, were injured in the stone-pelting.
No stopping the rioters
The rioters continued wreaking havoc. They broke up into smaller groups, stormed the houses of the accused persons, vandalised the structures, and damaged household items. They also vandalised and set fire to vehicles parked on and outside the premises, including motorcycles and tractors, causing heavy financial loss and spreading panic in the area.
As the crowd refused to calm down despite appeals through prominent locals, police used minimum force and dispersed the rioters with a mild lathi-charge to bring the situation under control.
“The police have video-recorded the entire incident using cameras and mobile phones to identify the rioters based on the footage and other evidence,” Senior Superintendent of Police Pramendra Singh Dobal said.
We are trying to identify those involved in the rioting, and action will be taken against them accordingly, he added.
A case was registered on the basis of a complaint by Inspector Negi, under BNS sections 191(2) and 191(3) for armed rioting, Section 121(1) for voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant, Section 221 for obstructing public servant, and sections 324(4), 326, and 3(5) for mischief, causing extensive damage by fire, and joint liability.
Bulldozer action amid Jai Shri Ram chants
In the wake of the killing, authorities razed “illegal” structures belonging to the accused on Sunday, continuing the operations till Tuesday, amid cries of Jai Shri Ram by the crowd gathered.
Uttarakhand and Kali Sena State President, Bhupesh Joshi, called upon all Hindus to drive out Muslims from the village, questioning their right to live in the country. Congress MP Syed Naseer Hussain shared a video on Wednesday, June 17, of Joshi’s open hate speech targeting Muslims.
“Such statements are a direct attack on the Constitution and the very idea of India,” the MP said.
“Aaj bulldozer karvaahi hori hai dekhiye. Mein in mullo Kehena chahatha hoon kaaide me rahoge tho fayde me rahoge. Mein yaha ke Hinduo se kehena chahatha hoon in mullo ko gaon se bhagaao. Koi mulla topi me nai dikhna chahiye. Gaon me ek masjid nai honi chahiye aur naahi masjid me azaan honi chahiye. mere hisaab se Musalman ko desh me rahne ka koi adhikari nai . Jai Shri Ram (Look, bulldozer action is taking place today. I want to tell these Mullahs: stay in line, and you’ll be better off. I want to tell the Hindus here: drive these Mullahs out of the village. No Mullah in a skullcap should be seen. There shouldn’t be a single mosque in the village, nor should the Azaan be heard from a mosque. In my view, Muslims have no right to live in this country. Jai Shri Ram),” Joshi said.
Muslim organisations claim innocents are targeted
While curfew-like tension remains in the village, Muslim Seva Sangathan protested outside the District Magistrate’s office, stating that innocent Muslims were being targeted in the aftermath.
Bulldozers had been used against the homes of people who were not even involved in the communal clash, the organisation said, demanding action against the officials responsible.
Its President, Naim Qureshi, called for a fair inquiry and financial aid for Vinod’s family. “We demand Rs 10 lakh compensation for the deceased leader’s family and a government job for one family member. At the same time, innocent people whose homes were demolished should also get justice,” said Qureshi.
“Several innocent families suffered due to bulldozer action. Officials responsible for wrongful action should also be held accountable,” he added.
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