The recent violence in Uttarkhand’s Haldwani following a demolition drive was spread by Pakistani toolkit as there is evidence to show that soon after the initial civic action nine hashtags from different cities of the neighbouring country became active in spreading rumours and hatred, a report submitted by security agencies to the Ministry of Home Affairs said.
Hashtags like Haldwani riots, Haldwani violence and Haldwani burning were used to post provocative messages on social media soon after a place of worship built on government land was razed in Haldwani on February 8, said the report.
The hate mongering operation was launched in a co-ordinated manner from cities like Karachi, Islamabad and Abbottabad by Pakistan-based elements that used nearly 10 bot based on social media platform X for sparking communal trouble in India, the report said.
The Pakistani toolkit deployed in the anti-India operation used social media handles with names including Asif, Mohd. Salman Akhtar, Mohd. Mehfoos, Alam Sheikh and Asif Mansori.
Over 100 people, including police personnel accompanying a demolition squad, were injured and six rioters killed when violence broke out on February 8 after a place of worship, illegally built on public land, was razed in Banbhoolpura area in Haldwani. Local residents protesting against the action against their place of worship hurled stones and petrol bombs at municipal workers and police and set the local police station on fire. After the police station was destroyed, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami announced that a new police station will be built at the site of the razed place of worship.
So far 68 miscreants have been arrested though the masterminds of riots, Abdul Malik and his son Abdul Moeed, Aijaj and Rahees, are absconding.
The authorities have temporarily relaxed curfew that had to be in imposed in Banpbhoolpura soon after the February 8 violence. “However, night curfew will continue from 8pm to 6am in Gaujajali, FSI, Godown area. The night curfew will continue in the rest of the areas under Banbhoolpura police station from 5pm to 6am,” Nanital Police posted on X.
Houses of the father-son duo, Abdul Malik and Abdul Moeed, wanted in the Banbhoolpura violence, were on Friday attached by the authorities in Haldwani. Earlier, the Haldwani Civil Court had issued orders to confiscate the property of nine miscreants, including Abdul Malik and his son, the alleged masterminds of the violence. The court has permitted the police to take action against all the accused under sections 82, and 83 of CrPC.
Uttarakhand Director General of Police Abhinav Kumar also stressed that recent “violent” clashes were not “communal.”
Several country-made weapons and live rounds were recovered from those arrested, police said. The state government had asked the Centre for four additional companies of paramilitary forces to be deployed in the district.