By Arun Pratap Singh
Dehradun, 13 May: Major action has been taken in the case of violence that had occurred on 8 February this year in Banphulpura area of Haldwani city. Police have invoked the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) against all the 107 accused lodged in jail. As a result, the police can now move ahead with confiscation of properties of the accused.
It may be recalled that, after the violence, the police had taken action against 36 people including the main accused, Abdul Malik, under UAPA provisions on 26 February. However, now, the provisions of UAPA have been invoked against 71 other accused, including seven women presently in jail. Police had registered three separate cases in the Haldwani violence case.
Of these, 107 accused including Abdul Malik, his son Moeed Malik, and seven women have been sent to jail. Last Friday, 98 accused were presented in the District and Sessions Court, Haldwani. After this, the court has extended the judicial custody of everyone for 28 days. SSP PN Meena said that provisions of the UAPA Act have been invoked against all the 107 people in jail.
It is worth noting that, after the installation of UCC in Haldwani’s Banbhulpura, on 8 February, the Municipal Corporation had initiated a demolition exercise against encroachments in the area which is stated to be the property of the Railways, originally, but which had been vested with the state government. However, the municipal teams that had gone to Banphulpura for this were brutally attacked. Even several women police officials were attacked and injured and stones were pelted from atop the houses in the area, and even petrol bombs were hurled. Almost all the accused belong to a particular community. Besides, an attempt was also made to burn 20 policemen alive. Not only this, the radicals had set fire to the Banbhulpura police station too and burnt down hundreds of vehicles during the violence.