Uttarakhand: Retd. Muslim Army Officer Faces Ire of ‘Hindutva’ Forces; FIR Filed After 2-Yr Legal Battle

Dehradun: It can be termed a classic case of ‘targeting’ a Muslim in Uttarakhand without any distinction, by the ‘Hindutva’ forces allegedly unleashed by the ruling BJP/RSS combine. Even ‘nationalist’ credentials of serving in the Indian Army could not save a retired Muslim Army officer from being targeted by the so-called ‘Hindutva’ forces. Interestingly, his being a ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader also could not save him.

The retired Army officer was not only accused of having “a Pakistani connection and providing education to ‘Talibanis’” and also being “anti-Hindu”. While, the local police refused to help the beleaguered Army veteran by filing a case against such elements, he has been left to fighting a case in the local court for the past two years just to get a First Information Report (FIR) lodged against four alleged accused who, he says “created a nasty vilification campaign against the retired Muslim Army officer on social media, tried to inflame communal passions, gathered a mob against him with an alleged attempt to harm him and even blackmailed him to part with money.”

The former Army officer had to fight a long legal battle in the court of the Judicial Magistrate, Vikasnagar in Dehradun district for two years to get an order asking the police to lodge a case against four persons, namely, Rakesh Tomar alias Rakesh Tomar Uttarakhandi, Girish Chander Dalakot, Bhupendra Dogra and Solanki.

Finally, on December 7, 2024, the Vikasnagar police lodged a case under Sections 386, 505 and 506 of the Indian Penal Code against these persons, but till date no action has been taken against them.

Rakesh Tomar Uttarkhandi, president of the Rudra Sena, was also allegedly involved in the Purola ‘Love Jehad’ case and resultant targeting of Muslims in Uttarkashi district in the summer of 2023. The Purola case was later proved to be false and motivated in a court of law.

This is a story of Lt. Col. Abdul Qadir (retd), who has been running Bright Angels School, a prestigious senior secondary CBSE school in Vikasnagar town. The school is popular among all the sections of the society in the area. Qadir is a popular figure and had contested the Vikasnagar Assembly polls on a Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) ticket in the 2007 Assembly elections and polled more than 8,000 votes. He later joined the BJP and being an educationist, was given a position of vice-chairman of the Muslim Education Mission, a state government body under then Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank.  But that was long ago.

In his complaint to the police, Lt.Col. Abdul Qadir (retd) said that he had been running the school for the past many years. But trouble started on July 21, 2022, when the school management decided to call off the school at 12.30 on a Friday. The decision of the school management was criticised by some people and the school decided to take back the decision, seeking an apology if “anyone was hurt by such a decision”. The school management clarified that the decision was taken for the convenience of the staff and not for Friday ‘Jumma’ prayers, as alleged.

He further alleged in his complaint that Rakesh Tomar Uttarakhandi, along with his accomplices, continued a communal tirade against the school with an intention to cause a “communal riot by inciting people to gather at the school and to vilify the school through social media campaign.”

The retired Army officer stated that as a result of such a social media campaign against him, comments like “Is H****i ko G**li Mar do” were posted. On July 24, 2022, Rakesh Tomar Uttarkhandi, with alleged intention to cause harm to the owner and his school, gathered a mob but due to police presence, burnt an effigy of the school owner, as police looked the other way. Lt.Col Abdul Qadir (retd) has further alleged in his complaint that Rakesh Tomar Uttarakhandi sent a him message seeking a ransom of Rs. 10 lakh.

In his complaint in the court, the former Army officer said he had no idea that the alleged accused already had criminal cases registered against them. He alleged that the accused threatened him of “their reach on social media” and if he dared to complain against Uttarakhandi, he would “emerge as a hero” in the backdrop of Hindu-Muslim politics being played out in the hill state. The retired Army officer has sought action under Sections 419, 420, 467, 468. 471, 384, 120 B of IPC to be read with Section 67 of the IT Act.

The application in the local court was moved under Section 156 (3) of the Cr.Pc (criminal procedure code). He has also sought protection for him and his family under the given circumstances.

The Uttarakhand Police, despite filing a FIR on December 7, 2024, is yet to take any action against the accused.

Interestingly, Rakesh Tomar Uttarakhandi addressed media persons on Thursday evening and continued his tirade against the retired Army officer and his school, charging him of being "anti-Hindu" and "anti-national" and instead seeking action against him.      

The writer is a freelancer based in Dehradun, Uttarakhand.