Haldwani Tensions: Vandana Singh, Nainital DM, Takes Charge to Restore Calm

Communal tensions flared in Haldwani, Uttarakhand, on Thursday evening when a mob attacked municipal corporation officials during the demolition of an "illegally built" madrasa. Two people were killed and over 100 injured in the violence.

Nainital District Magistrate Vandana Singh, overseeing the case, said the attack was "preplanned and unprovoked." She claimed the mob, equipped with stones, petrol bombs, and firearms, targeted the Banbhulpura police station and nearby vehicles. Singh emphasized the attack was not directed at any specific community but targeted state authorities.

Who is Vandana Singh?

2012-batch IAS officer of the Uttarakhand cadre Vandana Singh Studied Sanskrit honors and LLB before achieving the 8th rank in her first UPSC attempt at age 24. She is the first woman Chief Development Officer of Pithoragarh district (2012). Singh is Brand ambassador of the "Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao" campaign (2017-2020 and she is also appointed as a District Magistrate of Nainital in 2020.

#WATCH | Haldwani violence | DM Nainital, Vandana Singh says, "...It is an empty property that has two structures, which is not registered as religious structure or has been given any such recognition. Some call the structure a Madrasa..." pic.twitter.com/wqFziPnGTn

— ANI (@ANI) February 9, 2024