The ongoing investigation into the recent communal clashes in Sambhal leads to a possible Pakistan connection and the UP Police have recovered ammunition manufactured by the Pakistan Ordnance Factory. As the violence is being investigated by a special investigation team, the UP government has decided to relaunch its controversial ‘naming and shaming’ campaign. This campaign will display names, recovery amounts, and photographs of suspects involved in the violence in public places. The tension in Sambhal began due to a crowd resisting a court-ordered survey of the 16th-century Shahi Jama Masjid, which was being investigated for allegedly being built atop a temple.
The Supreme Court has directed the petitioners to approach the High Court over the dispute surrounding the survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal. The court has also asked the trial court to refrain from taking any action until the case is heard and has urged the district administration to maintain peace in the area. This plea was moved by the management committee of the mosque, which is embroiled in a dispute with Hindus over a temple allegedly destroyed to build the mosque. The Supreme Court is currently hearing multiple petitions related to disputes over religious places in India.
Police have filed seven FIRs in connection with the violent protests against the survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal, naming prominent Samajwadi Party leaders as accused. Three people were killed on Sunday, and one more person succumbed to their injuries on Monday as protesters clashed with security personnel. The district administration has imposed prohibitory orders and declared a holiday in all schools as a precautionary measure. A press conference by officials has confirmed the arrest of 25 people and efforts to identify others involved in the violence.
Following a violent clash in the district, the Sambhal administration has suspended internet services and closed schools as a precautionary measure. Around 20 people have been taken into custody after stone-pelting and clashes broke out during a survey of a mosque. Sambhal Superintendent of Police ensures the situation is under control and additional personnel have been deployed to maintain law and order.
Tensions have risen in Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal district as a team arrived to survey a disputed site, where a Harihar temple was claimed to stand on the grounds of the historic Shahi Jama Masjid. Videos of cars being set on fire and stone-pelting have emerged on social media, showing the chaos that ensued. Police have used tear gas to control the situation, and a local court had ordered a second survey to be conducted after a previous one was conducted last week. Samajwadi Party MP Zia Ur Rehman Barq has spoken out in defense of the mosque, citing a Supreme Court order from 1991.
On Sunday morning, Sambhal district in Uttar Pradesh saw an outburst of violence when a team of surveyors arrived at the Shahi Jama Masjid to conduct a second survey of the mosque. The police had to resort to lathi charge and tear gas shells to control the crowd, who were throwing stones and attacking media personnel. Amidst all this chaos, the police announced that they would take strict action against those who were involved in the violence, stating that their actions were illegal under section 163 of the Bhartiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita.