Uttarakhand: 11 booked, 7 arrested after communal tension in Haldwani
Police said that a first information report was registered against 11 people from both communities, and seven people were arrested
Haldwani: Communal tension erupted between members of the majority and minority communities in Haldwani town of Nainital district in Uttarakhand late Tuesday evening over an incident allegedly linked to alcohol consumption. Both sides pelted stones at each other, prompting swift police action. A first information report (FIR) was registered against 11 people from both communities, and seven people were arrested, officials said.
Prakash Chand, superintendent of police (city), Haldwani, said Banbhulpura police received a report on Tuesday evening about a clash near a graveyard in the Safdar Ka Bageecha area.
“When police reached the spot, they found two groups engaged in a violent confrontation. One Mohammad Shariq alleged that two individuals from New Basti, Bhim Nagar, assaulted and abused him. As word spread, people from both communities gathered, escalating the situation,” he said.
Police managed to disperse the crowd and restore order temporarily. However, some time later, one Kunal Sagar called to report fresh stone-pelting by members of the other community. He also alleged that two individuals—Tariq and Moin—had assaulted and attempted to stab him.
Responding to the call, a police team arrived to find members of both communities abusing and throwing stones at each other. The situation was brought under control after police intervened again.
Following complaints from both sides, police registered FIRs against the individuals involved. Those named include Shariq Ansari, Mohammad Tariq Ansari, Mohammad Kamil Ansari, Shadab Ansari, Adnan Ansari, Kunal Sagar, Ajay alias Lara, Subham Sagar , Satyakam alias Gabru, Rohan and Ashwani Kumar
All accused have been booked under sections 115 (voluntarily causing hurt), 191(2) (rioting), and 352 (intentional insults intended to provoke a breach of public peace) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), police said.
“It has emerged from the preliminary investigation that one group from one community was consuming alcohol in a tempo, which was objected to by members of the other community. This led to a clash involving stone-pelting and physical altercations,” said SP Prakash Chand.
He said seven of the accused —Mohammad Tariq Ansari, Mohammad Kamil Ansari, Shadab Ansari, Adnan Ansari, Shariq Ansari, Satyakam alias Gabru, and Shubham Sagar—were arrested on Wednesday. Investigation into the matter is ongoing, he said.
