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50 booked for vandalising shops of Muslims, assaulting man in Uttarakhand
The incident in Nainital has come on the heels of communal tensions in the hilly town of Purola in Uttarkashi where shops run by Muslim men were attacked during protests by Hindu right-wing organisations
Dehradun: The Uttarakhand Police on Tuesday booked 50-60 unidentified people for allegedly ransacking shops of Muslims in Nainital and tonsuring a man from the minority community accused of bestiality, officers said, even as no arrest has been made in connection with anti-Muslim posters that surfaced in Uttarkashi’s Purola town.
On June 14, some residents of Lamachaur village in Haldwani claimed to having caught a 25-year-old Muslim man, identified as Hafiz, while having sex with a cow. Following the incident, members of some Hindu right-wing outfits shaved the head of the accused and forced Muslim traders in the area to shut their shops.
The same day, the police arrested Hafiz and booked him under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act on the basis of a complaint lodged by one Mahesh Chand, a resident of Lamachaur. HT has seen a copy of the complaint registered at the Mukhani police station.
On Tuesday, a case was registered against 56-60 unidentified people at the Mukhani police station for vandalising shops of Muslims under sections 147 (punishment for rioting), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 355 (assault or criminal force with intent to dishonour person), and 427 (mischief) of the Indian Penal Code, a senior officer said.
“We have registered a case and identification of the accused is underway,” Mukhani police sub-inspector Preeti, who goes by the single name, said.
The incident in Nainital has come on the heels of communal tensions in the hilly town of Purola in Uttarkashi where shops run by Muslim men were attacked during protests by Hindu right-wing organisations, forcing many from the minority community to leave the town.
Purola has been tensed since the alleged abduction attempt on a 14-year-old girl on May 26. A day later, two accused— including a Muslim man — were arrested in connection with the case. On May 29, at least 30 shops owned or rented by Muslims were ransacked and attacked during a protest rally by right-wing organisations, who claimed the abduction bid was an attempt at “love jihad” — a term popularised by radical Hindu groups to describe what they believe is an organised conspiracy by Muslim men to force or trick Hindu women into conversion and marriage. The minor girl’s uncle, who is also a complainant in the case, has denied the “love jihad” claim while talking to HT.
On June 3, shops and houses belonging to Muslims were again targeted during another protest by right-wing outfits in Barkot. A day later, posters asking Muslim traders to vacate their shops in Purola before a proposed mahapanchayat — which was not allowed by authorities — on June 15 came up at various places.
On June 5, the police registered a first information report (FIR) against unidentified people under sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, etc.), 505 (statements conducing public mischief), and 506 (criminal intimidation) of IPC for putting up anti-Muslim posters. However, no arrest has been made in connection with the case yet.
“We have not arrested anyone for hooliganism in the town thus far,” Uttarkashi superintendent of police Arpan Yadhuvanshi said last week.
Even after three weeks, no FIR has been registered by the police in connection with attack on Muslim shops during protests on May 29 and June 3.
“Our probe into the incident is underway. We will soon file an FIR,” the SP said on Tuesday.
On June 8, Barkot circle officer SS Bhandari had said: “We have not been able to identify anyone who attacked Muslim shops [during the protests] or those who put up posters asking Muslim traders to leave by June 15. Due to low visibility at that time nobody could be seen putting up the posters. We are also checking CCTV footage of hotels to find out the culprits.”
Meanwhile, shops owned by Muslim traders in Purola reopened for the first time in nearly 20 days, in a first sign of normalcy returning to the town gradually. According to people aware of the details, the market roughly consists of 650-700 shops and of these, around 30-40 are run by Muslims. Around half of them left the town amid violence, locals said.
