NAINITAL/DEHRADUN: Shops were vandalised, schools and businesses shut as communal violence erupted in Nainital after the arrest of a 75-year-old man from a minority community on charges of raping a 12-year-old girl. The accused, identified as Mohammed Usman, a Class D contractor with the public works department, had allegedly lured the girl — who is in Class 7 — to a secluded location on April 12 and sexually assaulted her, according to a complaint filed by her family.
Though the incident occurred weeks earlier, it remained unreported until Wednesday, when the girl disclosed the assault to her parents, prompting them to approach the local police. Following the filing of a formal complaint, officers took her for a medical examination. While the girl was at the hospital, news of the case spread and, within hours, groups began to gather.
Nainital SSP Prahlad Narayan Meena told TOI that police were actively investigating the incident and had already taken the accused into custody. “We understand the gravity of the situation and are conducting a thorough probe,” he said. “We urge all residents and visitors to maintain calm, avoid spreading rumours, and cooperate with law enforcement.”
An officer added that it was around dusk when right-wing groups began assembling outside the Mallital police station. The mood, he said, turned confrontational as people demanded immediate and the severe punishment, chanting slogans not just against the accused but also against Pakistan and the recent Pahalgam terror attack.
Though police tried to de-escalate the situation by informing the crowd that the accused had been taken into custody and charged under BNS sections 65(1) for rape and 351(2) for criminal intimidation, along with section 4 of the Pocso Act, the crowd, in hundreds, moved towards market areas near the town centre, where a series of coordinated attacks on shops began. A large majority of the targeted businesses were owned by Muslims.
Videos recorded on mobile phones and widely circulated on social media captured scenes of chaos — shuttered shops with broken windows, shopkeepers being dragged out and beaten and customers fleeing. In some clips, police appeared to be attempting to intervene, but their action wasn’t effective.
Among those affected was Monish Jalal, who has operated a restaurant in the Gadi Padaw area for more than 10 years. His establishment was one of several that suffered property damage during the attacks. “The man who committed the crime has already been arrested. We also want justice for the child,” he said. “But what connection do we have with him? Why were our livelihoods put at stake?”
Jalal claimed he and others had surveillance footage of individuals involved in the vandalism, but said no action had been taken against them yet. If nothing changed, he said, he and fellow business owners would be forced to file separate police complaints.
Bimla Devi, who owns a modest tea stall inherited from her father-in-law — who opened it during the British era — said she had never witnessed such disruption in her six decades in the town. Her stall, she said, was “destroyed completely.” She appealed for immediate legal action.
On Thursday, educational institutions remained closed and traders in the town centre suspended work as a form of protest, supported and partially enforced by local right-wing groups. Police deployment increased across central Nainital, and checkpoints were set up along the main thoroughfares. For thousands of tourists visiting the town during peak season, the atmosphere had abruptly shifted from scenic leisure to caution.
Simran Dhariwal, a visitor from Delhi who had arrived a day earlier with friends, described the experience as unsettling. “Everything was shut. There were police everywhere. It felt like a curfew,” she said. With restaurants closed and few shops open, she said they survived the day on packaged food.
Amandeep Singh, general secretary of the Nainital Vyapar Mandal, said the closure was intended to demonstrate the town’s unified anger at the crime. “We are demanding punishment for the man responsible, but we are also arranging food for the tourists so that they are not caught in this disruption.”
Lawyers at the district court collectively agreed to withdraw legal representation from the accused. Daya Joshi, an advocate, said the bar had also requested that police investigate the background of individuals recently settled in Nainital. “No lawyer from our bar council will represent this man in any legal capacity,” Joshi said.
Meanwhile, Muslim organisations submitted a memorandum to DGP Deepam Seth in Dehradun on Thursday, demanding action against those “targeting Muslim shops and assaulting community members”. “What happened to the girl was horrific, and we also seek justice for her. However, violence and arson against innocent members of our community, who had nothing to do with the incident, are highly condemnable,” said Naeem Qureshi, president of Muslim Seva Sangathan.
HC takes cognisance
Uttarakhand high court has taken suo motu cognisance of the incident. During the hearing, govt counsel J S Virk informed the bench of Justices Manoj Kumar Tiwari and Vivek Bharti Sharma that substantial police deployment had been ordered and vehicles entering Nainital were being thoroughly checked at Haldwani, Bhavali, and Kaladhungi to prevent further unrest.
The bench directed authorities to strictly uphold security arrangements and prohibited large gatherings from forming at any location. The court also ordered continuous monitoring of social media and rumours, urging police to appeal to citizens for cooperation in maintaining peace. “Patrols must remain active to prevent any recurrence of the unrest witnessed in Haldwani,” the bench said. Gaurav Talwar