The city had been placed under curfew with shoot-at-sight orders issued late on Thursday. These remained in place and internet services continued to be disrupted in the town on Friday.
District magistrate of Nainital, Vandana (who uses only her first name), stated in a media briefing on Friday that two deaths in the violence had been confirmed. She added that “the violence had been pre-planned and put into action when teams of the municipal corporation and police reached the Malik ka Bagicha area of the locality.”
She added that rioters attacked the joint anti-encroachment team “without any provocation.” SSP Nainital Prahlad Meena said that “police were pushed to use force in self-defence.”
Police personnel have been deployed in some sensitive areas in Dehradun after the Haldwani incident
The DM claimed that the structures were situated on illegally-occupied govt land and were razed following a prior notice in accordance with a court order. She further said that the demolition drive commenced after the municipal corporation had lawfully acquired control over the two structures. According to the DM, rioting by residents started 30 minutes after the demolishing of the structures.
Meanwhile, DGP Abhinav Kumar and ADG law and order AP Anshuman reached the affected area on Friday along with chief secretary Radha Raturi.
Uttarakhand police spokesperson Nilesh Bharne said about 15-20 individuals were detained and four have been arrested for their direct involvement in the riots. “We are using CCTV footage to identify the people involved in the violence. We are going to use Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) against the rioters,” Bharne added.
On Friday, additional paramilitary forces were called and deployed, while flag marches were conducted in the affected area to restore normalcy, said Bharne.