A day after a mob vandalised around a dozen shops owned by Muslims in Chamoli’s Nandanagar following an allegation that a 25-year-old man from the community made an obscene gesture toward a minor girl, the Chamoli police Monday lodged an FIR against 300 unidentified people.
The FIR was lodged based on the complaint of (Nandanagar) Ghat police station in-charge. A total of 11 shops were vandalised, and a Namaz Sthal near Purana Bazar, under temporary construction with tin sheets, was damaged by the mob, it stated. According to the FIR, the mob specifically targeted a particular community, instilling fear and insecurity among women, children, and men residing in the affected houses.
In his FIR, police station in-charge Sanjay Singh Negi said that at around 9 am, he was informed that more than 100 people had gathered in Band Bazaar.
“As soon as I reached the market, the number of people had increased to about 250 to 300…and started moving from Band Bazaar to Purana Bazaar. When I tried to stop these people citing peace and order, the agitated crowd pushed me out of the way and started moving ahead. I informed my senior officials about this incident and demanded additional police force,” Negi said in the FIR, registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) on charges of spreading anarchy.
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