Hyderabad: AIMIM chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi has reacted to the ongoing violence in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal district where three people have reportedly died in police firing following clashes with police opposing a court-ordered survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid.
In an X post, Owaisi “strongly condemned the firing by Uttar Pradesh police”. He called for an impartial investigation of the incident and strict action against those involved with the killing of the three men.
“How many people’s blood do you need, O my countryman? who can make your colourless earth bloom How many sighs will cool your heart How many tears should fill your desert with flowers,” his X post said in Hindi.
Tension mounted in Sambhal on Sunday after protestors clashed with police resulting in the death of three young men – Naeem, Bilal and Nauman.
Police alleged the protesters tried to torch government vehicles and pelted stones at them. Gunshots were also fired. “We are investigating where the shots were fired from, particularly in the Deepa Sarai area,” said a police officer.
Tension has been brewing in Sambhal since Tuesday when the Mughal-era Jama Masjid was surveyed on the orders of a local court following a petition that claimed that a Harihar temple stood at the site.
Ten people have been detained and a probe has been launched, an official said, adding that some people even tried to set afire some motorcycles parked on the roadside.
On Sunday, a second survey was conducted by an “Advocate Commissioner” as part of a court-ordered examination into the disputed site started around 7 am and a crowd began gathering there.
Sambhal Jama Masjid row: Three killed during protest, 10 detained
10 people detained
District Magistrate Rajendra Pensia said, “The situation was normal when the survey began and at around 9:15 am we received the information that some people gathered outside the mosque. The crowd started pelting stones at police, but at that time we controlled the situation.”
“Again, at around 10 am, when we announced that the survey was complete, suddenly, a huge crowd gathered and started pelting stones. 20 police officials have been injured and three have been killed, out of which two have been shot by country-made pistols and we will know more after the postmortem. Right now the situation is under control,” says Pensia.
“Around 10 people have been detained in connection with the stone-pelting incident. They are being interrogated,” he added.
Uttar Pradesh police chief Prashant Kumar told PTI that the situation was under control in Sambhal.
Sambhal violence orchestrated by BJP: Akhilesh
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav lashed out at the BJP, saying the ruling party, government and the administration orchestrated the violence “to divert attention from electoral malpractice”.
At a press conference in Lucknow, Akhilesh Yadav said, “A serious incident occurred in Sambhal. A survey team was deliberately sent in the morning to disrupt discussions about the elections. The intention was to create chaos so that no debate on election issues could happen.”
“I don’t want to go into the legal or procedural aspects, but the other side was not even heard. This was intentionally done to provoke emotions and avoid discussions on election rigging,” he said.
“What happened in Sambhal was orchestrated by the BJP, the government and the administration to divert attention from electoral malpractices,” the former UP chief minister alleged.
