The situation was reported to be normal in Kotdwar on Wednesday, a day after members of different communities protested and rioted following a minor dispute between members of two communities. Schools remained closed here on Wednesday as a precautionary measure.
A total of five men have been arrested by the police in this regard so far. Kotdwar Kotwali station officer Vijay Singh had himself registered two different cases against unknown persons under different sections of IPC and IT Act on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the Kotdwar Tehsil sub-divisional magistrate Gopal Ram Binwal has prohibited 2G and 3G access for next 48 hours to prevent untoward incidents.
Speaking at a press conference held in Kotdwar on Wednesday, the Health minister and local MlA Surendra Singh Negi refuted the allegation of the public that the police had not registered report of the victims due to his influence and stressed that he had never interfered in the work of police administration. Negi made this statement in presence of police officers. The people of lakdipadav locality had alleged on Tuesday that the police are working under the influence of the cabinet minister, who they alleged had directed the police to refrain from booking members of a particular community.
It will be recalled that on Monday night at about 11.30 PM a tractor owned by Prajapatinagar resident Dharmpal was being used to transport building material from Prajapatinagar to lakripadav in Kotdwar. An argument during the unloading with the owner of a home- Alladiya’s in lakdipadav later escalated into a violent confrontation which resulted in serious injury to the tractor driver.
The Kotdwar police registered two different cases on the report of SO Vijay Singh against unknown persons under various sections of IPC and IT Act on Tuesday.