Samajwadi Party MP Akhilesh Yadav spoke in Parliament on Tuesday over the recent Sambhal violence and termed the incident a “well-planned conspiracy.” He said that the way excavations in mosques were being publicized by the BJP and its allies, this type of discourse is dangerous to brotherhood in the country.
“The Sambhal violence was a well-planned conspiracy. The brotherhood in this region has got very badly hurt. And similarly, excavations taking place continuously at various places in the country by the BJP and their allies are going to further demolish this brotherhood.” Yadav said in the Lok Sabha.
Yadav further charged the Sambhal administration with bias, alleging that the officials were working in the interest of the BJP. “The officers are working as if they are workers of the BJP. The Sambhal incident seems a well-planned conspiracy of the BJP to divert public attention from pressing issues. Those people who are trying to dig out historical sites will ultimately spoil the good relations among the communities in our country,” he added.
The violence began on Nov. 24 when a mob clashed with officials conducting a court-ordered survey of a Mughal-era mosque in Sambhal, leaving four people dead. The survey had been ordered after a petition claimed the mosque stood on the ruins of an ancient temple.
Later, Yadav said the following about a Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das who was arrested in Bangladesh for sedition charges. “These kinds of incidents should not happen. If the government doesn’t respect our saints, then how will it say that our government is strong?”.
In a related statement, Samajwadi Party Rajya Sabha MP Ram Gopal Yadav claimed the victims in Sambhal were killed due to police firing. He described the chaotic events leading up to the violence, noting the mob believed the mosque was being vandalized.
“On the morning of November 24, police were deployed throughout Sambhal without the community’s knowledge. When the authorities, accompanied by the police, entered the mosque, suspicions arose among local residents about potential vandalism. When water started flowing from a tank opened by officials, unrest ensued, leading to police firing that resulted in five deaths and numerous injuries. Many were arrested and faced brutal treatment,” he said.
Ram Gopal Yadav further claimed that the violent events were a distraction from previous electoral issues in Uttar Pradesh, where he alleged that the police hindered fair voting in neighboring districts.
