Yesterday, protesters opposing the survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid clashed with the police. Four Muslims were killed in the clash. Many others, including security personnel and administrative officials, were injured. According to the police, 25 people have been arrested so far in this case and efforts are being made to identify others involved in the violence.
The Uttar Pradesh Police has registered 7 FIRs in connection with the violence that took place during the survey of a Mughal-era mosque in Sambhal district here. In this, Samajwadi Party MP Zia-ur-Rehman Barak and Sohail Iqbal, son of local SP MLA Iqbal Mehmood, along with 2,750 other unidentified persons have been named as accused. Addressing a press conference, Superintendent of Police Krishan Kumar had said that the district administration has already imposed prohibitory orders and has banned the entry of outsiders into Sambhal till November 30. Internet services are suspended in the district.
On the other hand, the mosque management committee held the local administration responsible for the violence that broke out during the survey in the mosque last Sunday and said that the crowd had been agitated due to the spread of rumours of excavation of the mosque. After the press conference, the police had taken into custody the president of the Shahi Jama Masjid management committee, Zafar Ali. He had levelled serious allegations against the local administration in the violence case. He said, “The re-survey of the mosque was not done on the order of the court but on the order of the district magistrate. This survey was done illegally.”
