Yogi Adityanath govt orders judicial probe into Sambhal violence

The incident left several police officers injured, four individuals dead, and significant property damage in its wake

November 29, 2024

Sambhal violence: A 3-member judicial inquiry commission formed

The Uttar Pradesh government, led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, has ordered a judicial inquiry into the violence that erupted in Sambhal on November 24, which resulted in the deaths of at least four individuals. The state’s Home Department announced the formation of a three-member committee to investigate the incident and its underlying causes.

The inquiry will be led by retired High Court judge Devendra Kumar Arora, with Amit Mohan Prasad, a former IAS officer, and Arvind Kumar Jain, a former IPS officer, serving as the other two members of the committee. The committee has been tasked with submitting its findings within two months.

In the official order issued by the Uttar Pradesh Home Department on Thursday, it stated that the inquiry would determine whether the violence that occurred during a court-ordered survey of the Jama Masjid vs Harihar Mandir dispute was a pre-planned conspiracy or a spontaneous criminal act.

The violence in Sambhal unfolded during the second phase of a survey at the Masjid, which is part of an ongoing legal dispute over whether the mosque was built over the ruins of the Harihar Mandir.

The Supreme Court had ordered the survey after a petition by Vishnu Shankar Jain, who claimed that the mosque was originally the Harihar temple, which was destroyed by Mughal Emperor Babur to build the mosque.

The court-ordered survey began early on November 24, but soon tensions escalated as a crowd gathered near the mosque.

According to police officials, the initial phase of the survey proceeded peacefully, but tensions quickly mounted when some members of the crowd began pelting stones at the police officers conducting the survey.

Superintendent of Police Krishna Kumar Vishnoi reported that three groups of stone pelters targeted the police from different directions as the survey team emerged from the mosque.

In the chaos that ensued, attempts were made to vandalize and set fire to vehicles, while gunfire was exchanged, resulting in the deaths of three youths and injuries to several police officers and officials.

On the day of the violence, Sambhal District Magistrate Rajendra Painsia clarified that the survey was being conducted under the directions of the Supreme Court.

The survey team had chosen a time slot from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. for the survey, as no prayers are offered at the mosque during this period, allowing the process to take place peacefully. However, the situation escalated when miscreants outside the mosque began throwing stones.

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