Tuesday, 20 February 2024 | PNS | DEHRADUN
The police arrested 10 more persons accused of involvement in the Haldwani riot. The police have so far arrested 68 persons for their alleged role in the violence which took place on February 8.
The police also recovered about nine litres of petrol in two jars from one of the arrested accused named Arbaaz Ahmad (20). He had allegedly provided petrol to previously arrested accused Shehzad for making petrol bombs which were used to cause injury and damage property during the violence in Haldwani’s Vanbhulpura area, the senior superintendent of police of Nainital district Prahlad Narayan Meena said. The 10 arrested accused have been identified as Ayaan Ahmad (19), Arbaaz (20), Mohammad Shoaib (23), Mohammad Uzair (23), Tasleem Qureshi (25), Anas, Shahraj Hussain (29), Nazim (30) Mohammad Wasim (35) and Wasim Siddiqui alias Happa (38).
The SSP said that on the basis of CCTV footage and other evidence, the police have arrested 68 accused in the case in the past 12 days since the violence occurred in the Vanbhulpura area. The police have also recovered several weapons, live cartridges and shells, among other things from the arrested accused. These items were allegedly used to cause violence on February 8. Meena said that the police are consistently working to nab all the accused involved in the riot while ensuring that peace, law and order are maintained in the area.
It is pertinent to mention here that at least six people died and over 100 people including police officials, locals and mediapersons sustained injuries in the riot that occurred in Haldwani’s Vanbhulpura area over the demolition of illegally built madarsa and another illegal structure on February 8. Besides this, the Kumaon commissioner Deepak Rawat is also conducting a magisterial probe into the matter and is expected to submit the report to the government this week.
