A 53-year-old Muslim man, Mohammad Israr, succumbed to his bullet injuries in a hospital in Uttarakhand state of India.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Mohammad Israr was injured in Indian police firing during protest against the demolition of a madrassa and a mosque on 8 February in Ghafoor Basti locality of Haldwani city in the state. He breathed his last in the hospital after sustaining bullet injuries to his head.
Reports indicate that the bullet had penetrated deep into Israr’s head. Besides Israr, two other Muslims, Albashar and Shahnawaz, were also critically injured in the police firing and were hospitalised immediately. The condition of the persons still continues to be serious, as per media reports.
The death toll stemming from the violence in Haldwani has now risen to six according to official figures. Many others were injured with some of them in critical condition and receiving treatment at Sushila Tiwari Hospital.
Local residents told media men that the situation escalated due to police intervention and provocation, adding that the use of brute force by police including firing on peaceful Muslim protesters communalized the incident.—INP
