27 Arrested, CCTV Being Scanned, List Of 100 'Miscreants' Prepared: Police On Sambhal Violence

Sambhal Violence: 2 days after communal violence erupted during a survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid, normalcy is gradually returning to the affected region. Internet services remain suspended.

Sambhal: A lane barricaded as Police personnel continue to keep vigil two days after violence broke out during a court-ordered survey of a Mughal-era mosque, in Sambhal district of Uttar Pradesh, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024.

Source : PTI

Sambhal Violence: Two days after communal violence erupted during a court-mandated survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, life is gradually returning to normal in the affected region. Schools reopened, and several shops resumed operations on Tuesday, but internet services in Sambhal tehsil remain suspended as a precautionary measure. Authorities have also restricted the entry of outsiders and public representatives until 30 November.

Superintendent of Police (SP) Krishan Kumar Bishnoi confirmed the arrest of 27 individuals, including 25 men and two women, in the past 24 hours. “There are different CCTV footages, they are being scanned... We have prepared a list of more than 100 people who actively participated in this violence. They have been identified and will arrested in due course of time. Anyone who is innocent will not be sent to jail, but action will certainly be taken against anyone seen in the CCTV footage with stone in hand and if he has pelted stone on the police,” Bishnoi told news agency PTI.

VIDEO | "A total of 27 people - 25 men and two women - have been arrested in the last 24 hours and they have been sent to jail. There are different CCTV footages, they are being scanned... We have prepared a list of more than 100 people who actively participated in this violence.… pic.twitter.com/rvOAL3eyFr

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) November 26, 2024

He also highlighted that statements by MP Zia Ur Rehman contributed to tensions, noting, “Zia Ur Rehman twice gave statements which created fear in the public that the Shahi Jama Masjid was in danger, and that they had to protect it. On Friday, he had said that it was everyone's collective responsibility to protect it. On Sunday, when the survey was done, the crowd gathered because of that. It will be too early to say if all this was done by him or not. All facts are part of the investigation.”

VIDEO | "Zia Ur Rehman twice gave statements which created fear in the public that the Shahi Jama Masjid was in danger, and that they had to protect it. On Friday, he had said that it was everyone's collective responsibility to protect it. On Sunday, when the survey was done, the… pic.twitter.com/sIucZdWVBG

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) November 26, 2024

Seven FIRs have been filed, naming Samajwadi Party MP Zia-ur-Rehman Barq, local MLA Iqbal Mehmood’s son Sohail Iqbal, and 2,750 unidentified individuals. Sohail Iqbal, however, refuted the allegations, stating, “I have never worked for something which vitiates the peace in Sambhal. My name has been drawn in it even though I have nothing to do with it.”

Sambhal Violence: Internet Services To Remain Suspended Till Wednesday Evening, Police Says Situation 'Normalising'

District Information Officer Brijesh Kumar informed PTI that internet services in Sambhal tehsil will remain suspended until 4 pm on Wednesday. Divisional Commissioner (Moradabad) Aunjaneya Kumar Singh described the situation as “normalising” and assured that no guilty party would be spared. “Some shops in the area of the violence remain closed, but there is no tension as such. Security deployment is in place,” he said.

“Normalcy is being restored; shops are opening, and there is no problem,” DIG Muniraj G stated.

Community leaders and residents have called for peace and communal harmony. Haji Ehtesham, a Peace Committee member, expressed regret over the violence, attributing it to outsiders. “We must move on and restore peace. Sambhal has always been peaceful, and we will work together again,” he said.

According to PTI, Principal Shiv Shankar Sharma remarked that such incidents disturb the environment but praised the community’s resolve to rebuild harmony. BJP ward councillor Chanchal Verma stressed the importance of Hindu-Muslim unity, stating, “People in this area have always been a model of communal harmony. We must leave incidents like this behind and move forward together.”

Sambhal Violence After Court-Ordered Survey Of Shahi Jama Masjid

The violence erupted on Sunday during the second phase of a court-ordered survey, following claims that a Harihar temple previously stood at the mosque’s site. A crowd gathered near the Shahi Jama Masjid, raising slogans before clashing with police, torching vehicles, and pelting stones. Four people lost their lives, and around two dozen others, including security personnel, were injured.

Authorities continue to monitor the situation closely, with personnel deployed at key intersections and Rapid Action Force teams stationed in sensitive areas. A magisterial probe is ongoing to determine the causes of the unrest and punish the perpetrators.