Sambhal violence was a “well-planned” conspiracy, alleges SP chief Akhilesh Yadav

Mr. Yadav demands that murder cases be registered against guilty under whose watch the situation turned violent, killing five people

Samajwadi Party (SP) president and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday (December 3, 2024) alleged that the violence in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal was part of a “well-planned” conspiracy and linked it to the recent byelections in the State.

Speaking in the Lok Sabha during the Zero Hour, Mr. Yadav said that the talk of “khudai“ (digging) across the country by the BJP and its associates will end up hurting communal amity.

Squarely blaming the local police and administration for the recent violence in Sambhal, Mr. Yadav alleged that police personnel fired from official and personal weapons, killing five innocent people, and injuring dozens after some locals pelted stones at them to protest their high-handedness.

Mr. Yadav demanded that murder cases be registered against the guilty officials and they should be immediately suspended to ensure that there is no such “violation” of the Constitution again.

Amid occasional interruptions from the treasury benches, the Lok Sabha member from Kannauj narrated the sequence of events before the violence.

He said the U.P. byelection was first shifted from November 13 to November 20. Then a local civil judge (senior division) ordered the survey of the Mughal-era Shahi Jama Masjid on the same day a petition was filed claiming that a temple once stood at the site.

On November 19, Mr. Yadav claimed, the court passed the order without listening to the mosque committee and the local administration reached for the survey within a couple of hours. “It is not without basis when we say that the government does not follow the Constitution,” Mr. Yadav said.

The SP chief added that while everyone cooperated with the survey and the Muslim groups were preparing to argue their case in the next hearing on November 29, the administration on November 23 announced that another survey would be done a day later.

While the mosque committee displayed patience during the survey on November 24, the circle officer abused locals and ordered a lathi-charge when asked for reasons by locals, Mr. Yadav alleged. A few people then threw stones and the police personnel firing resorted to retaliatory firing, he added.

Both the SP leader and Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) MP E.T. Mohammed Basheer discussed the Places of Worship (Special Provision) Act, which provides for the maintenance of the religious character of places of worship as it existed on August 15, 1947.

Mr. Bahseer said this Act is now under threat, referring to the Sambhal incident, and said, “The peaceful coexistence (of different communities) in this country is becoming more and more difficult. We have to preserve our secularism.”

In the Rajya Sabha, SP leader Ram Gopal Yadav raised the matter, alleging that Sambhal was converted into a police zone and people were baffled why it was being done.

At one point, water started flowing out of the mosque and people thought some mischief was happening inside. Peace was disturbed with police opening fire, in which five people were killed and several injured, he added.

However, the SP leader failed to complete his speech as Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said certain parts of his statement would not go on record. At this point, the SP and few other Opposition members walked out in protest.

Published - December 04, 2024 01:00 am IST