Ensure Law and Order is Maintained: Uttarakhand HC to Govt on Purola Communal Tension

The Uttarakhand High Court heard a petition on Thursday over communal tension in Purola town and ordered the state government to ensure law and order is maintained.

Tensions have been mounting in Purola in Uttarkashi district for more than two weeks since a failed attempt by two men, one of whom is a Muslim, to kidnap an underage girl.

The state government issued prohibition orders under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CRPC) in the hill town to prevent the “mahapanchayat” called for by local business bodies and Hindutva fashion on Thursday over alleged incidents of “love jihad”.

However, the invitation to the Mahapanchayat was withdrawn by the organizers late Wednesday night.

The court panel consisting of Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice Rakesh Thapalial, while hearing the petition, also asked people not to engage in discussions on social media about the incident, which has sparked communal tension in the town, and said it would help normalize the situation. .

The court panel said that the state government is working to maintain law and order in the region and with the passage of time, things will settle down because time is the best healer, and expressed its satisfaction with the steps taken by the authorities.

The petition was filed by lawyer Shahrukh Alam on behalf of the Society for the Protection of Civil Rights which seeks to prevent mahapanchayat in Purola as it may disturb public harmony.

Societies have lived in harmony with each other for centuries and will continue to do so, the court said.

I directed the state government to ensure that law and order are maintained and that no loss of life or property occurs in Purola. The petition said that various Hindutva organizations summoned the Mahapanchayat after a young girl belonging to the Hindu community was caught eloping with a man from the Muslim community.

The petition said the Mahapanchayat could pose a threat to public harmony and could lead to more communal tension.

Solicitor General SN Babolkar informed the court that Section 144 had been enforced in the area and steps had been taken to defuse communal tensions, thus effectively preventing the Mahapanchayat.

The petition also called on the state to maintain law and order in the region. The petition alleged that Muslim shopkeepers were told not to open their shops.

It claimed that posters announcing this were pasted outside their stores as well as uploaded on social media.

The petitioner also demanded the protection of these shops and their owners. It has also been called for an FIR to be registered against those who authored such posters.

The seat also said that one cannot be forced to buy or not to buy from a particular shop. As for the FIR, she confirmed that it is up to the police to proceed with such matters.

The Supreme Court also said that the FIR had already been registered in the matter.

She said that even if there is a mistake on the part of the police, the option to contact a judge under Article 156 (3) of the Code of Criminal Procedure is always available.

(This story was not edited by the News18 staff and was published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI)