Members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and other Hindutva organisations took to the streets in Nainital on Tuesday to demand an anti-encroachment drive in the aftermath of the alleged rape of a minor by a 60-year-old Muslim civil contractor.

Although Mohammad Usman was arrested on April 30, a day after the crime, the Hindutva groups had organised three days of protests till Friday to mount pressure on the government to remove all encroachments in the town, alleging that most of the encroachers were Muslims.

The Uttarakhand government had served notices to many alleged encroachers, including Usman, and directed them to respond within three days.

However, Nainital High Court pulled up the state government on May 2, reminding it of the Supreme Court’s directive that mandated a 15-day notice to the owner or occupier of unauthorised constructions before demolition.

On Tuesday, members of the Hindutva organisations once again assembled at Ma Nainadevi Temple in the town and later took out a procession in Mallital while chanting the Hanuman Chalisa. They broke barricades at several places and entered into a scuffle with police near the Nagar Palika office, where they sat on a dharna for over an hour.

“The government is delaying action against the encroachers. The high court has objected to action against shopkeepers and residents who have built their shops and houses on encroached land. The government must survey the land and make public the list of encroachers. No court can prevent the government from taking action against the land mafia if the charges are true,” said Mukesh Joshi, a resident.