A scuffle broke out between Police and locals when a survey team arrived at the Shahi Jama Masjid to survey the mosque, in Sambhal on Sunday. | Desk
Sambhal (UP): Tensions have escalated in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal, following deadly clashes that broke out on Sunday between police and a large crowd protesting a mosque survey. A 12-member delegation from the Samajwadi Party (SP), including Leader of Opposition Mata Prasad Pandey, is scheduled to visit the violence-hit area on Tuesday. This visit comes despite strict prohibitory orders and a ban on outsider entry without prior permission.
The violence, which left four people dead and many injured, was sparked by a clash between protestors and the police during the survey of a mosque. Police have arrested 25 individuals in connection with the incident, and several people, including SP MP Zia ur Rahman Barq and Sohail Iqbal, the son of local SP MLA Iqbal Mehmood, have been named in the FIR.
The police claim Barq’s statement, “Jama Masjid ki hifazat” (protection of Jama Masjid), incited the violence by mobilizing the crowd. In addition to Barq and Iqbal, four others are named, while nearly 2,750 people are listed as unidentified.
SP Refutes Allegations
The Samajwadi Party has rejected these charges, maintaining that their leaders are not responsible for the unrest. The delegation led by Pandey plans to visit the Sambhal mosque to assess the situation. The party’s involvement has added further political heat to the already volatile environment.
In response to the violence, the Uttar Pradesh government has ordered a judicial inquiry, which will be conducted by Deputy Collector Deepak Kumar Chaudhary. The inquiry will examine the causes of the violence, identify the instigators, assess the damage, and investigate the deaths. The district administration is also conducting an assessment of the destruction of both government and private property, with plans to recover the losses from those responsible for the violence.
Furthermore, Anjaneya Kumar Singh, a senior officer involved in the investigation, suggested that the violence may have been part of a larger conspiracy aimed at creating unrest. In addition to the arrests and investigations, Zafar Ali, the head of the Sambhal Jama Masjid management committee, was detained after accusing the police of violence. Ali criticised the mosque survey as “unlawful” and claimed that the SDM’s insistence on draining the ablution tank led to confusion, sparking the unrest.
As investigations continue, the region remains under heavy scrutiny, with both political and law enforcement figures looking to resolve the situation while addressing the complex and volatile dynamics at play.