A delegation of the Samajwadi Party (SP) visited the violence-hit Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal city on Monday, December 30, and handed over a cheque of Rs 5 lakh as compensation each to the families of the victims of the communal violence.
The delegation led by Uttar Pradesh Assembly’s Leader of Opposition (LoP) Mata Prasad Pandey included several prominent SP leaders, including Samajwadi Party MP from Sambhal Zia Ur Rehman Barq, Lok Sabha MP Iqra Hasan and the local member of the legislative assembly Iqbal Mehmood.
Speaking to reporters, Pandey said that the compensation was provided based on the instructions of SP chief Akhilesh Yadav.
While speaking to the news agency PTI, Barq expressed deep anguish about the violence. He said, “The entire country is ashamed of the incident that happened in Sambhal… It is a reality that Sambhal is a peaceful place and for over 39 years there have been no differences between Hindus and Muslims here. We are raising this issue everywhere.”
“The only regret is that our people were killed and the blame for it was also put on our people. We have complete faith in our Constitution and court. We are sure that even if the police and government do not do justice the court will be fair to us” he added.
Sambhal violence
Four people were killed and several others, including security personnel, were injured in violence that broke out in the Kot Garvi area on November 24 when locals clashed with police during a court-ordered survey of the Mughal-era Shahi Jama Masjid over a petition that claimed a Harihar temple once existed at the site.
A survey was conducted at the masjid after a Hindu Supreme Court lawyer claimed that it was originally a temple which was demolished to build a mosque.
The court directive was issued despite the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act of 1991, which aims to preserve the religious character of places of worship as they were on August 15, 1947.
As days passed by, objections were raised to the survey carried out by the court commissioner. On November 24, residents opposed a team of land surveyors from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) who were sent to the Shahi Jama Masjid following a court order to investigate claims that a Hindu temple existed beneath the mosque.
On December 10, a large-scale protest erupted which eventually turned violent as clashes broke out between demonstrators and security forces leading to the death of five Muslim youths who were allegedly gunned down by the UP police.
Recent developments
In recent developments, the UP police on Saturday, December 28 arrested 50 people allegedly in connection with the Sambhal violence.
While speaking to ANI, superintendent of police (SP) Krishnan Kumar Bishnoi stated that 50 people have been arrested while the search is on for 91.
“A special team of UP police arrested 50 people so far in the violence that took place in Sambhal on November 24. The search is on for another 91 people. Some people are yet to be identified… The investigation is being carried out from all angles- the cause of the incident and the people behind it. The police have not concluded yet,” he said.
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