Who is Abdul Malik, the alleged mastermind behind Haldwani violence?

Abdul Malik was nabbed by a team of the Uttarakhand Police in Delhi.

The Uttarakhand Police on Saturday said that they have arrested the “key accused” in the Haldwani violence, Abdul Malik, along with two other people.

Haldwani violence alleged mastermind Abdul Malik after being arrested by the police on February 24. (PTI)

Inspector General of Police (Provisioning and Modernisation) Nilesh Anand Bharne, who is also the spokesperson for the Uttarakhand Police, said that Abdul Malik was nabbed by a team in Delhi.

According to the police, six teams were formed to search for Malik and his son Abdul Moid in different states including Gujarat, Delhi, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

Malik is accused of allegedly building an "illegal" madrasa in the Banbhoolpura area of Haldwani. On February 8, its demolition led to the violence in the city.

The administration had subsequently issued shoot-at-sight orders and imposed a curfew in the town. The violence left five dead, and 150 people injured. On February 16, a lookout notice was issued against Malik and his son on and his properties were attached.

Who is Abdul Malik?

• Abdul Malik reportedly owns wide chunks of land in Haldwani, according to Live Hindustan.
• In 2004, he fought the Lok Sabha elections on a ticket from the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)
• While filing his nomination, he was accompanied by a crowd of over 100 people. Abdul Malik, however, lost the polls to a Congress candidate.
• Earlier in the day, Abdul Malik’s lawyers had moved an anticipatory bail application in the court of additional district and sessions judge, Haldwani.
• “We didn’t know that he had been arrested and moved an anticipatory bail application in the court. The bail application will be cancelled automatically,” Abdul Malik's lawyer, Ajay Kumar Bahuguna, said.
• He also claimed that Malik was not in Haldwani when the violence took place. "“Two-three days before the incident, Malik had left Haldwani and wasn’t in the town on the day of violence. He was in Dehradun,” he said.