Nainital on edge as POCSO case against 65-year-old sparks communal tensions

After this, at around 9.30 pm on Wednesday, a group of men assembled near the market, where the accused had an office, and vandalised shops and eateries run by the minority community. In a video, men were seen slapping staffers at these shops. The crowd also protested in front of a mosque and pelted stones, said police.

On April 12, the accused allegedly lured the girl using money and took her to his car, where he raped her, police said.

On Thursday, a group of people submitted a memorandum to the administration seeking action against the accused and stringent laws restricting the entry of “outsiders”, said Nainital SSP Prahlad Meena.

Meena said an FIR has not been registered in connection with vandalism and stone-pelting because police did not receive a complaint. “We are trying to identify the locals who indulged in disruptions,” he said.

He also said police had controlled the situation and prevented it from becoming a “riot-like situation”.

“It was an emotionally charged response by the public. Had we not handled it, a riot-like situation would have occurred. We deployed forces across the district today,” he said.

The Uttarakhand Public (Government) and Private Property Damage Recovery (Ordinance) Law, 2024, which has provisions to fine rioters and recover expenses incurred due to a riot, was not enforced.

A memorandum was submitted by local residents to Kumaon Commissioner Deepak Rawat, demanding a “comprehensive verification drive of all outsiders residing in Nainital, especially those from a particular community working as tenants, labourers, or in temporary businesses, to identify suspicious elements in time”.

The memorandum demanded the seizure of the property of the accused “to set a strong deterrent”.

Among the demands were “inquiry into high-value property purchases by individuals from a particular community in Nainital’s commercial areas, which may threaten local economic balance, (and) formation of a special monitoring committee comprising administration, police, and local representatives to track regional activity and report to authorities.”

It also demanded that employment opportunities for local youth in commercial spaces be prioritised to protect local identity and Nainital be declared a “sensitive cultural zone” to protect its cultural heritage and provide special policy safeguards.

The officials in the district administration said that District Magistrate Vandana has appointed magistrates to the market area and the mosque premises, and also instructed the District Development Authority to resume the previously conducted anti-encroachment drive in Nainital.

She ordered that pending hearings regarding illegal constructions be completed within 15 days and that demolition action be initiated without delay.

A notice has been served to the accused, Usman, saying that his property is illegal and giving him three days to present his case before action is taken

An anti-encroachment marking drive was carried out on Thursday at various locations within Nainital city limits. A total of 150 challans (notices/fines) were issued — 100 by the Municipal Council and 50 by the Development Authority — primarily for violations such as construction without approved building plans and encroachments on roads, drains, and other public spaces.

She also directed that additional police force be deployed at prayer sites and at sensitive areas to ensure peace during Friday prayers, a statement from her office said.

To ensure the safety of tourists, the DM also directed the deployment of “competent police officers in crowded areas of Nainital”, and that the verification of taxis, bike rentals, and roadside vendors operating in Nainital city be expedited, the statement said.