Among Haldwani violence victims, a 24-yr-old from Bihar in search of 1st job — ‘family left shattered’

A graduate from Arrah, Prakash Kumar was, according to his brother-in-law, shot thrice in the head amid violence that followed demolition drive at a mosque-cum-madrasa site on 8 February.

File photo of Prakash Kumar | By special arrangement

Haldwani: On 8 February, Prakash Kumar arrived in Haldwani, Uttarakhand, from Bihar in search of a job. He had just completed his Bachelor of Arts degree from a college in his hometown Arrah. He was the sole breadwinner in his family, responsible for his elderly parents and younger brother.

Prakash’s arrival in Haldwani, however, coincided with violent clashes in the city’s Banbhoolpura area, located close to the railway station. He was killed in the violence.

A demolition drive at an allegedly illegal mosque-cum-madrasa site had sparked violence in Haldwani on 8 February, claiming at least five lives and leaving several others injured. 

Prakash Kumar’s brother-in-law Ankit Singh told ThePrint, “He was a fresher who had spoken to someone about a job in Haldwani. But unfortunately, he got killed. His family is shattered and shocked.” 

Mystery over cause of death 

When the Nainital Police announced the identity of the deceased, many reporters were curious about who Prakash Kumar was since the violence had erupted in a Muslim-dominated area and the other four victims were Muslims. 

After some delay, there was clarity that Kumar was a native of Bihar and that he had come to Haldwani in search of work.

Nainital Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Prahlad Narayan Meena, Sunday confirmed to the press that Kumar’s body was recovered far away from the site of the violence and it appeared at first appearance that he was shot with some “different weapon” that could be due to personal enmity.

The SSP did not elaborate on what kind of “personal enmity” Kumar could have had with anyone in Haldwani given that he had just arrived a few hours before his death. The officer said that the investigation would reveal how the victims died and who killed them. 

Meanwhile, Ankit Singh told ThePrint that Kumar was shot “three times in the head”, which led to his death. He took Kumar’s body home Sunday after postmortem.

(Edited by Richa Mishra)