Haldwani violence: Uttarakhand Police seek ED probe against main accused
Violent clashes erupted in Banbhoolpura area of Haldwani on the evening of February 8, when civic authorities razed a mosque a madrasa, alleging that they were illegally built on state government land.
The Uttarakhand Police has written to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to launch a probe against Haldwani violence main accused Abdul Malik over allegations of running a fake institution, suspicious transactions, sale and purchase of the land using forged stamp, illegal possession and construction on government land.
The development comes after the Nainital district administration wrote to the state government recommending the state police to write to the ED.
An official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that suspicious transactions were detected from Malik’s institute in Nainital, and several ‘benami’ properties in other states have been associated with him. It also suggests violation of the PMLA Act, the official said.
“I had written a letter to the Enforcement Directorate in this regard but can’t recall when,” Uttarakhand director general of police Abhinav Kumar said.
Nainital senior superintendent of police Prahlad Narayan Meena said the letter to the government was sent by the district administration as the issue concerns government land.
Violent clashes erupted in Banbhoolpura area of Haldwani on the evening of February 8, when civic authorities razed two structures — Masjid Mariam (mosque) and Abdul Razzaq Zakaria madrasa — alleging that they were illegally built on state government (nazool) land.
As workers from the Haldwani Municipal Corporation and Nainital administration razed the 20-year-old structure, residents of the area set afire several vehicles, a police station and hurled stones at the demolition team as well as police personnel.
Four FIRs were registered in connection with the violence, three of them under sections 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting armed with deadly weapon), 307 (attempt to murder), 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to public servant), 353, 333, 427, and others, of the Indian Penal Code, and sections of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act at Banbhulpura police station.
The fourth case was registered on the complaint by Haldwani Municipal Corporation assistant commissioner Ganesh Bhatt on February 22.
Six people — Abdul Malik, his wife Safia Malik, Akhtari Begum, Nabi Raza Khan, Gaus Raza Khan and Abdul Latif — were named in the FIRs. According to the police, the names of Abdul Malik’s son Abdul Moid, and Babu Raza came up during investigation.
The Nainital police had also attached the properties of six absconding accused, including Moid and his father, for their alleged role in the violence, a senior police official said.
The properties were seized under section 83 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (attachment of property of person absconding).
