Sambhal:

At least 25 people were arrested and seven cases registered against 400 people after four persons were killed in violence over the survey of a mosque in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal on Sunday. Samajwadi Party MP from Sambhal, Ziaur Rahman Barq, and his party colleague Iqbal Mahmood’s son Nawab Suhail Iqbal, are among those who have been charged, officials said.

Sambhal witnessed deadly clashes between the locals and the police during a court-ordered survey of the Mughal-era Shahi Jama Masjid on Sunday morning. The mosque is at the centre of a contentious legal battle over claims that it was built on the site of a Hindu temple.

The protesters also set some vehicles on fire and threw stones at the police, who used tear gas and batons to disperse the mob.

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About 20 police personnel were also injured and a constable, who suffered an injury to the head, is said to be critical.

“Due to Barq’s statement earlier, the situation became worse here,” Superintendent of Police Krishan Kumar told a press conference.

He said they were identifying the protestors using drone footage and that the accused would be charged under the stringent National Security Act (NSA).

Speaking to NDTV, Mr Barq held the police responsible for the violence and called it a “part of a conspiracy”.

“A murder case should be registered against them (police personnel) and action should be taken because they fired from private arms and not government arms,” he said.

“Muslims were targeted and killed as part of a conspiracy,” the SP leader added.

His party chief Akhilesh Yadav also alleged that the stone pelting incident in Sambhal was a “riot done by the government”.

“Our MP Zia ur Rahman was not even in Sambhal during the incident and despite that, a case was registered against him. From all the videos we have, we know it was a riot by the government,” Mr Yadav, whose party has traditionally enjoyed strong support in Sambhal, told reporters outside Parliament.

#WATCH | Delhi: On Sambhal stone pelting incident, Samajwadi Party MP Akhilesh Yadav says “Our MP Zia ur Rahman was not even in Sambhal and despite that an FIR was lodged against him…This is a riot done by the government…Right after the order was passed by the Court, police… pic.twitter.com/qwPGtpho1m

— ANI (@ANI) November 25, 2024

Mr Yadav, who is a Member of Parliament from Uttar Pradesh’s Kannauj, had on Sunday said the BJP government and the administration orchestrated the violence “to divert attention from electoral malpractice”.

His charge came after the BJP and its ally RLD secured seven of the nine seats in the recently held by-election for nine Uttar Pradesh Assembly constituencies.

Internet Snapped, Schools Shut In Sambhal

Internet services have been suspended in Sambhal for 24 hours and schools shut on Monday for all students up to Class 12.

Officials also barred any outsider, social organization or public representative from entering Sambhal without the orders of the authorities till November 30.

Sambhal has been tense since last Tuesday when the Jama Masjid was surveyed on a local court’s orders following a petition claiming that a Harihar temple stood at the site.

The officials said the survey could not be completed on Tuesday and was planned for Sunday morning to avoid interference with prayers that are usually held in the afternoon.

A lawyer for the Hindu side claimed that the temple that once stood at the site was demolished by Mughal Emperor Babur in 1529.

ALSO READ | 16th Century Mosque, A City On Fire: Sambhal Violence Explained

Supporters of the survey argue that it is a necessary step in uncovering historical truths, while critics view it as a provocation that violates the sanctity of religious places as upheld by the Places of Worship Act, 1991.

Advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, who is a petitioner in the case, said the survey team conducted a detailed examination of the site, supported by videography and photography as per the court’s directives on Sunday. The survey report is scheduled to be submitted by November 29.

Three people were killed and scores of others, including around 20 security personnel and four personnel of the administration, were injured as protesters opposing a court-ordered survey of a Mughal-era mosque here clashed with police on Sunday (Novmeber 24, 2024).

The protesters torched vehicles and pelted stones at the police, who used tear gas and batons to disperse the mob.

“Shots were fired by the miscreants… the PRO of the superintendent of police suffered a gunshot to the leg, the police circle officer was hit by pellets and 15 to 20 security personnel were injured in the violence,” Moradabad Divisional Commissioner Aunjaneya Kumar Singh said.

He said that a constable also suffered a serious head injury, while the deputy collector fractured his leg.

Internet services have been suspended in Sambhal tehsil for 24 hours and the district administration declared a holiday on November 25 for all students up to Class 12.

Images shared on social media showed protesters pelting stones at cops from atop buildings and in front of the Shahi Jama Masjid. Later, police personnel were purportedly seen cornering and hitting people as they tried to disperse a large crowd in a narrow alleyway.

Visuals also showed a lane strewn with a large number of slippers, bricks and stones. In another purported clip, some police personnel in riot gear were seen firing gunshots towards a lane while flames leapt and smoke billowed into the air in the background.

One purported clip showed Superintendent of Police (SP) Krishan Kumar urging stone-pelters not to indulge in violence.

“Do not spoil your future for these politicians,” he is heard saying through his megaphone.

Mr. Kumar also told reporters that videos are going viral at many places that the police have opened fire.

Refuting such allegations, he said, “Police have used pellet guns. No weapons were used that could take anyone’s life. As many as 21 people have been detained. Several kinds of weapons have been recovered from them. At the spot where the firing took place, many shells of different bores have been recovered.”

“Weapons have also been recovered from the houses of the detained people. Firing took place from a house in Nakhasa police station area, from where two women have been detained,” he added.

Tension has been brewing in Sambhal since Tuesday when the Jama Masjid was surveyed on the orders of a local court following a petition that claimed that a Harihar temple stood at the site.

“Three people, identified as Naeem, Bilal and Nauman, have been killed,” Mr. Singh said.

Twenty one people, including two women, have been detained and a probe has been launched, the official said, adding that those accused in the violence would be booked under the stringent National Security Act (NSA).

“The casualty count stands at three. The reason for the death of two of them is clear — bullet wounds from countrymade pistols. The reason for the death of the third person is not clear, but it will be after the post-mortem examination,” said District Magistrate Rajender Pensiya.

The trouble started on Sunday morning when a large group of people gathered near the Shahi Jama Masjid and started shouting slogans as the survey team began their work.

The district officials said the survey could not be completed on Tuesday and was planned for Sunday morning to avoid interference with prayers that are usually held in the afternoon.

Mr. Kumar told reporters later that there was peace in the area.

“Internet service will remain closed for one day in Sambhal tehsil,” he said.

The SP added that an FIR has been registered at the Sambhal Police Station and the 20-22 policemen, who were injured, were giving their statements.

He said that the constable, who suffered an injury to the head, has been sent to the Meerut Medical College and his condition is critical.

Elaborating on the incident, the divisional commissioner said when the survey team was leaving after completing the exercise, some people started pelting stones.

“There were groups on three sides. One from the front, one from the right and one from the left. They were continuously pelting stones. Police used force so that the survey team could be taken out and escorted safely. Tear gas shells were also fired. Plastic bullets were used,” Mr. Singh said.

“This is definitely an act of provocation in which lives have also been lost,” he said and appealed to people to maintain peace.

Mr. Singh said the survey work was being done under court orders.

“It was going on peacefully… Nothing has been done in the survey that may tamper with the structure of the mosque. In fact, in the stone-pelting that happened today, stones were definitely thrown at the mosque,” he said.

Mr. Singh said that efforts are on to identify people, who had provoked the crowd.

Supreme Court lawyer Vishnu Shankar Jain, who is a petitioner in the case, earlier said the Court of Civil Judge (Senior Division) ordered the constitution of an “Advocate Commission” to survey the mosque.

The court has said that a report should be filed after conducting a videography and photography survey through the commission, he said.

On Sunday, Mr. Jain urged the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to take control of the “temple”.

Gopal Sharma, a local lawyer for the Hindu side, claimed that the temple that once stood at the site was demolished by Mughal Emperor Babur in 1529.