Haldwani violence: Key accused man arrested in Delhi

The Uttarakhand Police on Saturday arrested Abdul Malik, the key accused person in the February 8 violence that erupted in the Haldwani city, The Indian Express reported.

Malik was arrested in Delhi, Inspector-General and Police Headquarters spokesperson Nilesh Anand Bharne said.

Six persons were killed in the violence that broke out after the city’s municipal corporation demolished a mosque and a madrasa in the Banbhoolpura locality on February 8, claiming that they were built illegally on government land – even though the matter was underway in the Uttarakhand High Court.

Earlier on Saturday, Malik’s lawyer had filed an anticipatory bail petition at a court in Haldwani. The court is scheduled to hear the petition on February 27, India Today reported.

The lawyer claimed that Malik was not involved in the violence, adding that he was not in the area for two to three days before it erupted.

Malik ran the mosque and madrasa in Banbhoolpura that were demolished, according to The Indian Express. After the violence, the Haldwani Municipal Corporation had on February 13 served a notice to him to deposit Rs 2.44 crore to cover damage caused to government property.

On February 11, the police said that 30 persons had been arrested in connection with the violence. Of the total arrested persons, 12 were allegedly involved in attacking the police station, six allegedly in setting cars ablaze outside...

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