Sambhal: The death toll from violent protests in Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal sparked by a survey into whether a centuries-old mosque was built on a Hindu temple has risen to six, an official said on Tuesday.
Quoting district magistrate Chirag Goyal, AFP reported that the six men were killed by gunfire -- with Goyal saying they were shot by fellow protesters. "The six killed were caught in crossfire by rioters using homemade pistols," he said. "The police only fired tear gas and rubber bullets".
On Tuesday, an eerie silence permeated Sambhal two days after the area was jolted by violent protests against a court-ordered survey of the Mughal-era Shahi Jama Masjid. The hilltop mosque was built in 1526 during the rule of Mughal emperors Babur and Humayun, according to historians, with renovations during the 17th century.
Internet service remained suspended in the area on Tuesday though schools reopened and several shops were seen resuming operations. Police and administration officials are continuing to closely monitor the situation, with personnel deployed at key intersections and Rapid Action Force teams stationed in sensitive areas.
The authorities have imposed restrictions on the entry of outsiders and public representatives into Sambhal until November 30. Although the situation in most parts of the district appeared calm, the area around Shahi Jama Masjid remained deserted.
'Situation normal'
Deputy Inspector General of Police Moradabad Range, Muniraj G said that the situation is normal in Sambhal today. "The situation is normal in Sambhal today. The markets are operational and functionally normally. People should not worry; those innocent will not be penalised. Till now, 7 FIRs have been filed. We are identifying people based on video footage," DIG Muniraj said.
Police arrested at least 25 people and registered seven FIRs in the incident, naming the Samajwadi Party's Sambhal MP Zia-ur-Rehman Barq, and Samajwadi Party MLA Iqbal Mehmood's son Sohail along with 2,750 unidentified individuals as main accused.
Rahul Gandhi to visit Sambhal today
Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi along with a delegation of the Congress party are set to visit Sambhal today, Congress MP Rajiv Shukla said, though it is to be seen whether he will be allowed to since police have imposed curbs on entry of outsiders in the area till November 30.
"Rahul Gandhi and a delegation of the Congress party have left for Sambhal," Shukla told ANI. On Monday, Rahul attacked the ruling BJP over the Sambhal violence and alleged that the government's actions were deepening divisions and fostering discrimination between Hindu and Muslim communities.
Samajwadi Party delegation defers visit
A Samajwadi Party delegation's scheduled visit to violence-hit Sambhal district today was postponed following an assurance of a fair probe by the Uttar Pradesh Police chief, a senior leader said.
Senior SP leader and Leader of Opposition in UP Legislative Assembly Mata Prasad Pandey said during a press conference the party's visit to Sambhal has been deferred after his interaction with the Director General of Police Prashant Kumar.
"The SP chief (Akhilesh Yadav) had formed a delegation under my leadership to visit Sambhal and get actual information and facts about the incident. I was to leave at 10 am but I had a conversation with the DGP.
"He was aware that I was going to Sambhal and that our people have been falsely implicated even as those who were not present there have been booked in the FIR. The DG assured me of an impartial probe into the matter and detailed investigation into it," Pandey said. Prasad said he has decided to pay heed to the police chief's advice to refrain from visiting Sambhal for the next three days.
"We have decided to stay here after the assurance and insistence," Pandey said, adding that the DGP has assured him that no innocent person would be implicated.
Sambhal MLA's Son Denies Involvement
Sohail Iqbal, son of Samajwadi Party MLA Iqbal Mehmood, one of the accused in the violence in Sambhal, has denied that he provoked violence and said police must show evidence to justify the charges made against him.
"My name is there in the FIR but I am in no way involved. I did not make any hate speech or video to provoke people. I was not even present at the site of the violence," he told PTI Videos in Sambhal on Tuesday. He said "The FIR copy says MP Ziaur Rahman (Barq) was with me. But he was not here in Sambhal. It is impossible we were present together on the spot. They must provide evidence. We are being framed..."
"We received information at night that the team will come in the morning for the survey. It was late so I could not contact the mosque committee. So I decided to go in the morning and ask Farooqi Sahab, a senior from the committee to cooperate in the survey. No negative message should go to the public that the survey is a forced one. I went to the mosque to pray but when I did not see Farooqi Sahab there, I went to his house and told him that our message must be political. People should know that there is a survey going on and we are cooperating," he said.
He said when he was coming out, he was told by officials to stay put at Farooqi's house. "So I was at his residence at the time of the incident. His residence is located very far from the mosque. I was not physically present on the spot during the violence," Iqbal added.
Constitution Day being celebrated when people died in Sambhal: Akhilesh
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday said Constitution Day celebration at a time when people lost their lives in Sambhal is not right and alleged that leaders of Opposition are not being allowed to visit the violence-hit area in Uttar Pradesh.
Extending wishes on Constitution day, he said, "The true celebration of the Constitution is when we follow it." "We are Samajwadi (socialists), Babasaheb BR Ambedkar's Constitution protects us and gives us our rights. We respect the Constitution but to celebrate at a time when many people have lost their lives in Sambhal is not right," he said.
"What has been done by the government in Sambhal, people have lost their lives. Justice is being denied, people are being accused in false cases," Yadav alleged. "The government is filing false cases against our MP, MLA and son of the MLA. Government is at fault. When the survey was done once, what was the need for the survey a second time?" he asked.
"The government is totally to be blamed. When the survey was done once, what was the need to do it again? And if another survey was required they should have sat together and spoken about it...and whatever was left out on that another survey could have been done," the SP chief said.
On Monday, Akhilesh claimed that five people had died in 'police firing' and the violence in Sambhal was 'pre-planned' by the UP government. He also said SP MP Ziaur Rahman Barq was not even present in Sambhal but was named in the FIR by the police.
"Our MP Ziaur Rahman (Barq) was not in Sambhal at the time of violence but he has been booked...Nayeem, Bilal, Kaif, Roman and Ayan were the youth who died in the clashes...The violence was pre-planned by the government," the former CM said.
He also claimed that the SP and DM deployed police forces to conduct the survey without a court order.
What happened in Sambhal
Tension had been brewing in Sambhal since November 19 when the mosque was first surveyed on the court's orders following a petition claiming that a Harihar temple had stood at the site.
On Sunday, a large group of people gathered near the mosque and started shouting slogans as the survey team resumed its work. They then clashed with security personnel, torched vehicles and pelted stones.
According to official figures, four people have died because of the violence, which has left around two dozen others, including security personnel and administration officials, injured.
While a magisterial probe into the violence is ongoing, Superintendent of Police Krishna Kumar Vishnoi had said on Monday that the situation was under control and emphasised that "strict action will be taken against those responsible for the unrest". He had added that the police were analysing drone footage, CCTV camera recordings, and mobile videos to identify the suspects and apprehend them. (With agency inputs)
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