By Our Staff Reporter
Nainital, 25 Nov: The Uttarakhand High Court today heard the bail plea of Abdul Malik, the main accused in the violence case of Haldwani’s Banbhulpura. After hearing the plea, the single bench comprising Justice Ravindra Maithani granted bail to Abdul Malik in the case regarding encroachment on government land. However, Abdul Malik has not yet been granted bail for allegedly spreading violence and is likely to remain behind bars for some more time.
It may be recalled that his wife Safia, who had been absconding after the violence in Banbhulpura, was arrested only days ago.
Four cases are registered against Abdul Malik for the Banbhulpura riots. One of the cases is related to the encroachment on government land based on a forged affidavit. He is also accused of grabbing Nazul land and selling it through plotting and making illegal constructions.
During the hearing, today, the state government opposed Abdul Malik’s bail plea and insisted that he was the major conspirator in the Banbhulpura case, who had initiated the grabbing of government land and the violence. The court was further reminded that when the administration officials went to vacate this illegal encroachment, stones were pelted at them. Later, the incident escalated into major violence. Many officials from the Police and the Administration sustained injuries in this violence, and several people even lost their lives.
The government lawyer further shared that Abdul Malik has not secured any bail from the High Court in the cases related to violence and, hence, the bail plea of Abdul Malik in the encroachment case should also be dismissed. At the same time, the petitioner, through his lawyers, argued that this case is not related to violence, so he should be granted bail in this particular case.
It may be recalled that on 8 February 2024, in the Haldwani Banbhulpura police station area of Nainital, some people attacked the police-administration teams that had arrived to clear encroachment on government land there. The officials faced challenging and unexpected resistance and violence. Stones were pelted from the lanes and from atop the houses in Banbhulpura, injuring more than 100 policemen. Five people also died due to bullet injuries. Additionally, the miscreants set fire to the Banbhulpura police station premises. Abdul Malik is stated to be the main conspirator and encroacher of the government land and is accused of instigating violence and stone pelting on the administrative and police teams. He is also accused of large-scale illegal construction on government land.
