Sambhal: Amid tight security, members of a judicial commission on Sunday visited the Shahi Jama Masjid here and other areas which witnessed violence over a court-ordered survey of the Mughal-era mosque. Panel head retired Allahabad High Court judge Devendra Kumar Arora and retired IPS officer Arvind Kumar Jain were the two members of the three-member Commission which visited the areas that witnessed violence on November 24.
The panel's third member, ex-IAS officer Amit Mohan Prasad, was not present during Sunday's visit. The Commission members, however, did not respond to any media queries during the visit in the morning hours. They were accompanied by Moradabad Divisional Commissioner Aunjaneya Kumar Singh, DIG Muniraj G along with the Sambhal District Magistrate Rajendra Pensiya and Superintendent of Police Krishan Kumar.
Arora and Jain had reached Moradabad a day ago while Prasad was expected to join them in Sambhal, the divisional commissioner had said on Saturday. Violence erupted in Sambhal on November 24 during a court-ordered survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid, killing four persons and injuring many others.
The survey was linked to a petition claiming that a Harihar temple once stood at the site of the mosque. The Commission formed via a notification on November 28 has been directed to complete its probe within two months. Any extension of this timeline will require government approval.
The panel has been entrusted with the task of examining whether the clashes were spontaneous or part of a well-planned criminal conspiracy, as well as the preparedness of the police and the administration in handling the situation. The Commission will also analyse the circumstances leading to the violence, and recommend measures to prevent similar incidents from recurring in the future.
