Haldwani riots in India a sign of growing state violence amid efforts to ‘erase Muslim history without bloodshed’

Each year, on the occasion of Shab-e-Barat (night of forgiveness), Muslims visit the graves of their loved ones to seek forgiveness for the deceased. However, Mohammad Aman never imagined that this time he would be visiting the graves to pray for his younger brother and father, who fell to bullets earlier this month.

Aman, 21, lives in Gafoor Basti, located in Banbhoolpura, Haldwani, with the region seeing deadly clashes on February 8-9 between its Muslim community and police after municipal officials tore down the Abdul Razzaq Zakariya madrasa and nearby Mariyam mosque at Malik ka Bagicha in the area.

The conflict in Haldwani, according to observers, is indicative of deep religious rifts in the country, with critics accusing the government of demolishing mosques to allow for the “erasure of Muslim history without the need for bloodshed”.

Aman’s father, Mohammad Zahid, 45, was allegedly shot twice in the chest by police. “The clashes were going on when my father went outside to buy a packet of milk. But he was shot,” Aman said.

Aman later learned his 16-year-old brother had also been shot, after he saw the youth lying in a pool of blood. “When I saw him, I lost my mind completely,” Aman recalled of both deaths in his family.

Haldwani authorities had issued shoot-on-sight orders, imposed a curfew, and suspended internet services as the violence boiled.

The next morning, both Anas and Zahid were taken to the government hospital for a postmortem, after which they were buried in the presence of only five family members, as per the police directive.

Aman’s dead family members are among six people who were reportedly killed in the clashes. According to officials, more than 300 people, including 150 police personnel, suffered injuries