UP: Stone pelting in Sambhal during survey of mosque claims 3 lives

Police used tear gas and "minor force" in the face of stone pelting by locals in Sambhal in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday (November 24), as tension escalated during a second survey of the Mughal-era mosque, claimed to be originally the site of an ancient Hindu temple.

Three individuals lost their lives in violent clashes, according to Ananya Kumar, the Moradabad Divisional Commissioner.

Fifteen people have been detained and a probe was launched into the violence, an official said, adding that some people even tried to set fire to some motorcycles parked on the roadside.

Three dead

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The deceased have been identified as Naeem, Bilal, and Niman. Kumar said that 20 to 22 police personnel, including senior officials such as the Circle Officer of Sambhal, the Public Relations Officer to the SP Sambhal, and an SDM, were injured during the unrest. Some of the injured sustained splinter wounds. 

Tension has been brewing in Sambhal over the past few days after the Jama Masjid was surveyed last Tuesday on the orders of a local court following a petition that claimed that a Harihar temple stood at the site.

According to the local administration, a second survey by an "Advocate Commissioner" as part of a court-ordered examination into the disputed site started around 7 am and a crowd began gathering there.

'Minor force'

"Some miscreants in the crowd pelted stones at the police team. The police used minor force and tear gas to bring the situation under control," Superintendent of Police Krishna Kumar Vishnoi said.

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He said those who engaged in stone pelting and those who incited them will be identified and action taken against them.

District Magistrate Rajendra Pesia said, "Some miscreants resorted to stone pelting but the situation is peaceful now and the survey is underway."

Situation under control

Uttar Pradesh police chief Prashant Kumar told PTI that the situation was under control in Sambhal.

"We are monitoring everything. All police and civil administration officials are handling the situation on the spot. They are patrolling those areas. Anti-social elements will be identified very soon and strict action will be taken against them," the director general of police (DGP) said.

Videos of youths throwing stones at police, purportedly near the site of the survey in Sambhal have surfaced on the Internet.

Mosque survey

Supreme Court lawyer Vishnu Shankar Jain, who is a petitioner in the case, had 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 had said.

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The Central and Uttar Pradesh governments, the mosque committee and the district magistrate of Sambhal have been made parties in the petition concerning the mosque, Jain said last Tuesday.

Vishnu Shankar Jain and his father Hari Shankar Jain have represented the Hindu side in many cases related to places of worship, including the Gyanvapi Mosque-Kashi Vishwanath temple dispute.

Gopal Sharma, a local lawyer for the Hindu side, told PTI on Friday that in his petition filed in the court, he mentioned that "Baburnama" and the "Ain-e-Akbari" has confirmed that a Harihar temple was at the site where the Jama Masjid now stands.

He also claimed that the temple was demolished by Mughal Emperor Babur in 1529.

Samajwadi Party (SP) MP Zia Ur Rehman Barq had objected to the developments.

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"The Jama Masjid of Sambhal is historical and very old. The Supreme Court had given the order in 1991 that whatever religious places are there in whatever condition since 1947, they will remain at their places," he had said.

The next date for hearing in this case is January 29.

'Orchestrated'

Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav alleged the violence in Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal district over th survey of a mosque was "orchestrated" by the BJP, the government and the administration "to divert attention from electoral malpractice".

A day after the Uttar Pradesh bypoll results were declared and the Samajwadi Party managed to win just two seats, while the BJP and its ally RLD bagged the other seven, Yadav levelled serious allegations against the police and administration.

"A serious incident occurred in Sambhal. A survey team was deliberately sent in the morning to disrupt discussions about the elections. The intention was to create chaos so that no debate on election issues could happen," the Samajwadi Party chief claimed.

Citing reports, he said several people were injured in the violence in Sambhal and asked when a survey of the mosque was already done, why was a new survey conducted again and "that too in the morning and without preparation?"

"I don't want to go into the legal or procedural aspects, but the other side was not even heard. This was intentionally done to provoke emotions and avoid discussions on election rigging," Yadav said.

(With agency inputs)