Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Three killed in India after madrassa demolition triggers religious clashes

Authorities in the northern state of Uttarakhand had bulldozed the Islamic school and an adjoining prayer site on Thursday (8)

Three killed in India after madrassa demolition triggers religious clashes

THREE people were killed in India and dozens more injured after religious clashes sparked by the destruction of a madrassa, officials said Friday (9), the latest in a spate of demolitions targeting Islamic structures.

Hindu nationalist groups have been emboldened in their campaign against Muslim religious structures since prime minister Narendra Modi took office a decade ago.


Authorities in the northern state of Uttarakhand had bulldozed the Islamic school and an adjoining prayer site on Thursday (8), claiming they had been built without permission.

Police said that Muslim protesters threw stones at them in the protests that followed, prompting them to fire tear gas in response.

Three people had been killed in the clashes in Haldwani district, police spokesman Nilesh Anand Bharne told reporters.

District official Vandana Singh told reporters that dozens of others were being treated at "various hospitals".

"Orders have been given to shoot the rioters on sight," she added.

Footage of the clashes posted on social media showed Hindu residents of the district chanting anti-Muslim slogans and throwing stones at the crowd.

Authorities in Haldwani suspended internet services, closed schools, imposed a curfew and banned large gatherings after the violence broke out.

Security forces were also rushed into the area from other parts of the state to contain the unrest, officials said.

Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said the government would punish anyone found to have participated in the unrest.

"Anyone who attempts to disturb the peace will not be spared," he said in a Friday social media post.

Calls for India to enshrine Hindu supremacy in law have rapidly grown louder since Modi took office in 2014, making the country's roughly 210-million-strong Muslim minority increasingly anxious about their future.

Thursday's violence comes at an especially sensitive time, with nationalist activists stepping up a long campaign to replace several prominent mosques with Hindu temples.

Last month Modi inaugurated a grand new temple in the northern city of Ayodhya, built on the site of a centuries-old mosque that was destroyed by Hindu zealots.

That demolition in 1992 sparked sectarian riots that killed 2,000 people nationwide, most of them Muslims.

The clashes also come days after Uttarakhand's legislature passed a polarising common civil code to replace existing religious laws governing marriage, divorce and inheritance.

Muslim groups across India have objected to the new law, saying it is a violation of their religious freedoms.

Authorities in various Indian states governed by Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have also been accused by rights groups of selectively targeting Muslim homes, businesses and worship sites for demolition.

Last month a centuries-old mosque was knocked down in the capital New Delhi with city authorities claiming it had been illegally constructed in a forest reserve.

Authorities in India's financial capital Mumbai tore down several makeshift shopfronts of Muslim-owned businesses in the city days after minor religious clashes that broke out on the eve of the Ayodhya temple's inauguration.

(AFP)

More For You

uk-railways-iStock

The package includes £415 million to upgrade the rail line between Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds, and York, a route affected by delays and disruptions. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Government announces £1.7 bn transport investment for the North

THE GOVERNMENT has announced a £1.7 billion investment to improve transport infrastructure across the North, focusing on buses, roads, and rail.

The funding aims to upgrade key routes and improve connectivity across the region.

Keep ReadingShow less
Keir-Starmer-Getty

Keir Starmer’s communications chief has resigned after nine months in Downing Street. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Starmer’s communications chief Matthew Doyle resigns after nine months

KEIR STARMER’s communications chief, Matthew Doyle, has resigned after nine months in Downing Street. Doyle, a Labour veteran who previously worked for Tony Blair, joined Starmer’s team as communications director four years ago when the party was in opposition.

His departure follows that of Sue Gray, Starmer’s former chief of staff, who left in the autumn. Doyle’s exit is expected to lead to the promotions of James Lyons to director of communications (strategy) and Steph Driver to director of communications (delivery), according to the BBC.

Keep ReadingShow less
Leicester leaders push for major expansion amid local government shake-up

Leicester’s population is expected to grow from 372,000 now to just over 600,000 by 2028

Leicester leaders push for major expansion amid local government shake-up

Hannah Richardson

LEICESTER leaders have named the areas they want to be incorporated into the city amid a shake-up of local government structures. The massive expansion plan would see a number of towns and villages at the city’s edges brought inside Leicester’s boundary.

Leicester City Council is looking to take part of Blaby and Harborough districts, and part of Oadby and Wigston and Charnwood boroughs. Among the communities being eyed up are Glenfield, Oadby, Wigston, Blaby, Whetstone, Syston, Anstey, Leicester Forest East, Birstall, Kirby Muxloe, Thurmaston and Countesthorpe.

Keep ReadingShow less
Lakshmi-Mittal-Getty

Mittal, who built his steel business over five decades, moved to the UK in 1995. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Lakshmi Mittal may leave UK after non-dom tax abolition: report

STEEL tycoon Lakshmi Mittal is considering leaving the UK following the government’s decision to abolish the non-domiciled tax status. The move would make him one of the most prominent entrepreneurs to leave due to the tax reform.

Mittal, who has lived in the UK for three decades, has informed associates that his departure is likely due to Labour’s decision to end the non-dom regime, which allowed certain residents to avoid paying UK tax on foreign income.

Keep ReadingShow less
King Charles

The palace said in a statement that after receiving scheduled treatment in the morning, the king had 'temporary side effects that required a short period of observation in hospital.' (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

King Charles cancels engagements after cancer treatment side effects

KING CHARLES has postponed his engagements for Thursday and Friday after experiencing side effects from his ongoing cancer treatment, Buckingham Palace announced.

The palace said in a statement that after receiving scheduled treatment in the morning, the king had "temporary side effects that required a short period of observation in hospital."

Keep ReadingShow less