At least 25 people have been arrested, and seven cases have been filed against 400 individuals in the wake of violent clashes after four people were killed during a court-ordered survey of the historic Shahi Jama Masjid on Sunday in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh. Those charged include Samajwadi Party MP Ziaur Rahman Barq and the son of his party colleague Iqbal Mahmood.
The violence broke out during the morning survey, which is part of a disputed legal case concerning claims that the mosque was built on the site of a Hindu temple, and involved clashes between the police and locals. Protesters reportedly torched vehicles and threw stones at the police, who acted with tear gas and batons. As many as 20 police were injured, of whom one constable was in serious condition with a head wound.
Superintendent of Police Krishan Kumar said the earlier remarks by Barq triggered the situation. He said the police are identifying protesters with the help of drone footage, and the accused will be booked under the National Security Act, adding:.
In a statement, Barq blamed the police for the violence, alleging a conspiracy against Muslims: “A case of murder should be registered against the police for their actions.” He said the police used private weapons instead of government-issued arms.
Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav echoed these sentiments, labeling the stone-pelting incident a government-orchestrated riot. He criticized the registration of charges against Barq, who was not present during the violence, and suggested that the administration was attempting to distract from alleged electoral misconduct by the ruling BJP, which recently performed well in local by-elections.
In the wake of the unrest, internet services in Sambhal were suspended for 24 hours while schools up to Class 12 were ordered to be closed. Access to the area has also been curbed; outsiders and representatives were barred from entry into the area with November 30.
Tensions in Sambhal have risen since last Tuesday when the mosque was surveyed under a local court order following a petition claiming the site once housed a Harihar temple. The survey, which was disrupted on the day it was initially scheduled to take place, was rescheduled to avoid interfering with afternoon prayers.
Proponents argue that the survey is a necessary investigation into history, while opponents see it as an act of provocation, a desecration of a place of worship, which is specifically protected under the Places of Worship Act of 1991. A court-ordered survey team mapped the site with videography and photography; a report is due no later than November 29.
