Haldwani Violence: Photos of Nine ‘Wanted’ Rioters Released By Uttarakhand Police

These nine rioters are wanted for their involvement in the violent clashes that erupted in Haldwani’s Banbhoolpura area over the demolition of an illegal madrasa earlier this month.

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New Delhi: The Uttarakhand police on Friday shared the photos of nine rioters who are wanted for their involvement in the violent clashes that erupted in Haldwani’s Banbhoolpura area over the demolition of an illegal madrasa earlier this month. The state government, through its X handle, posted the photos of the nine suspects who were allegedly part of the mob that assaulted the police teams. The Nainital Police have asked the public to provide any information about the whereabouts of these criminals and have given the contact details of several police stations.

The government said, “Whosoever gets to know about the whereabouts of these criminals can contact police stations and share information about them.” The Banbhoolpura area of Haldwani had turned into a war zone on February 8, when the police went to demolish an illegal madrasa as per the court orders.

The police had urged the people to stay calm, but a large mob surrounded the police station and set it on fire. Many of them pelted stones and threw petrol bombs at the cops, injuring more than 100 police personnel, journalists and municipal workers. The police teams, including women cops, had to take shelter in a police station, but that was also torched by the angry mob.

The state government, led by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, had swiftly taken action against the rioters and vandals who attacked the police and damaged public property, including police vans. The Chief Minister had also announced the setting up of a police station to ‘instill fear’ in the minds of the rioters, a few days after the violence.