DEHRADUN: A day after a mob of over 200 people vandalised a Christian prayer house in Haridwar,
the Uttarakhand government on Monday ‘delegated’ district magistrates the power to invoke the stringent National Security Act.
“The government has delegated the power to invoke the NSA in certain situations to the district magistrates,” said Anand Vardhan, additional chief secretary. The government order stated that “keeping in view the present situation in the state it has become imperative that the step must be taken”.
The order said that in the last few days, incidents of violence had occurred due to which reactionary incidents took place.
“There are possibilities that such incidents may happen again in the state. Anti-social elements are trying to endanger security of the people, the state and communities.”
Meanwhile, the police lodged FIR against 200 people under IPC Sections 295, 296, 395, 323, 504, 506 and 427 in connection with the prayer house vandalism.
On Sunday at Solanipuram Colony in Roorkee, a group of around 200 people, including some women, arrived at the prayer hall accusing Christian missionaries of carrying out the religious conversion.
Subsequently, a complaint was submitted to the police. Vivek Kumar, circle officer of Roorkee said, “An FIR has been registered in the matter. We are checking the CCTV footage and questioning people.”
The FIR has named six persons, but no arrests have been made till date.