In a violent protest against Uttarakhand state government’s demolition drive of supposed illegal encroachments, four individuals lost their lives last Thursday according to ANI. Furthermore, more than 100 police personnel sustained injuries during the course of the protest.
The protests started in Haldwani, a city in the Uttarakhand state of India, and turned violent which led to clashes between the protesters and the security personnel. The protesters reportedly attacked the local police station causing numerous injuries among the police force. Consequently, the local administration passed a “shoot at sight” order which eventually led to the death of four protesters. This order grants permission to security forces to immediately shoot upon identifying a threat without any warning. As fallout of the order, a curfew was imposed and internet services were shut down, with schools and colleges also closing in the region.
Haldwani’s local administrator District Magistrate Vandana Singh rejected any claims of provocation by the administration and denied that Muslim structures were specifically targetted for demolition, a claim which allegedly sparked some of the protests. The District Magistrate clarified further that the two buildings marked for demolition had uncertain religious status and were not registered as religious sites. Singh also claimed that one of these structures, a supposed Islamic religious school named Madrassa, was not registered as a religious institution. However, she alleged that the protest, as well as the attack on the local police station, were premeditated.
The aftermath of the incident saw the former Chief Minister of Uttarakhand and a leader of the opposition party of the Indian National Congress (INC) expressing his remorse over the incident and stating:
I am very concerned and sad looking at the situation in Haldwani. The history of Haldwani has been that of peace, harmony, brotherhood and progress. Today, we are ashamed of the situation that has arisen there. All the sides should maintain peace and try to have harmony once again. I have contacted a lot of people. The people in Haldwani are sad.
Recently, the state of Uttarakhand has been experiencing heightened tensions following the passage of the Uniform Civil Code bill (UCC) by the State Assembly. This bill seeks to amalgamate personal laws across religious communities into a single legislation, affecting matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, and adoption. Critics of the bill argue that the UCC infringes upon minority rights and imposes Hindu laws on other religious groups, as its provisions bear a close resemblance to Hindu personal laws.