Haldwani Violence: Four Killed, 100 Injured In Riots Over Madrasa Demolition | Latest Updates

A curfew has been imposed on Thursday after local residents set vehicles and a police station, hurling stones that resulted in more than four fatalities and left 149 individuals injured. The unrest stemmed from the demolition of an "illegally built" madrasa and an adjoining mosque, officials reported.

The majority of those hospitalized after the violence at Malik ka Bagicha, situated in the city's Banbhoolpura area, were police personnel, with the remainder being municipal workers involved in the demolition efforts, according to reports.

Haldwani Violence Latest Updates:

• Four people died in the violence-hit Banbhoolpura & more than 100 policemen were injured: State ADG Law & Order AP Anshuman
• Internet services suspended after violence in Banbhoolpura of Haldwani in which so far 4 people have died and more than 100 policemen were injured. The administration has also ordered the closure of all schools and colleges: Nainital District Administration
• A high alert has been issued in the entire state after the violence in Banbhoolpura of Haldwani: Uttarakhand Government
• The tumult began when a police team from Banbhulpura police station undertook the demolition of an illegal madrasa and a prayer space located in an area known as 'Malik ka Bagicha'. Around 2 pm, the police team arrived at the site and razed the unauthorized structure, prompting a backlash from enraged locals who hurled stones at the police team.

• In the face of the aggressive crowd, the police personnel were compelled to retreat, as they were bombarded with stones from every rooftop in the vicinity. Upon reaching the Banbhulpura police station, miscreants from the Muslim community besieged the station from all directions, attempting to gain control and continuing to pelt stones at the officers.
• The situation escalated further when the crowd launched a petrol bomb at the police station, engulfing the entire structure in flames. Attempts were made to breach the station and set fire to the office of the Station Officer. Several miscreants managed to infiltrate the premises, some brandishing petrol bombs, while outside, police vehicles parked nearby were set ablaze, with more than 20 motorcycles destroyed.
• Inside the besieged police station, Superintendent of Police Harish Chandra Verma and 40 officers found themselves trapped, including a significant number of female personnel, officials revealed. During the chaos, a female constable inside the station attempted to relay information about the attack to higher authorities via wireless communication, but communication was abruptly cut off when the electricity supply was disrupted.
• Not only were police vehicles targeted, but those belonging to media personnel were also set alight, as unrest spread through the Banbhulpura area, prompting the closure of shops in the main market around 7 pm. Within an hour, the entire market had shut down, with tension gripping the entire vicinity. Subsequently, several factories, vegetable markets, and cloth shops in the area closed their doors, followed by shops along Nainital Road and Bareilly Road.