Violence Erupts During Protest Over Sambhal Mosque Survey; 3 Killed, 20 Cops among Injured

• Three people were killed and scores of others were injured in a clash between protesters and police in Sambhal on Sunday.
• The clash occurred as protesters opposed a court-ordered survey of the Mughal-era Shahi Jama Masjid.
• Around 20 security personnel and four administration officials were injured in the violence.
• Protesters torched vehicles and pelted stones at the police, prompting the use of tear gas and batons by authorities.
• Miscreants fired shots, injuring the PRO of the superintendent of police (shot in the leg) and the police circle officer (hit by pellets).
• A constable suffered a serious head injury, and the deputy collector fractured his leg.
• Internet services were suspended in Sambhal tehsil for 24 hours, and all students up to Class 12 were given a holiday on November 25.
• Protesters pelted stones from atop buildings and in front of the mosque during the confrontation.
• Police used pellet guns, not live ammunition, to control the crowd; some videos falsely claimed the police had opened fire.
• 21 people, including two women, were detained, and several weapons were recovered from them and their homes.
• Court-ordered survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid began after a petition claimed a Harihar temple once stood at the site.
• The violence began on Sunday morning when protesters gathered near the mosque to disrupt the survey, shouting slogans.
• The survey team had attempted the survey on Tuesday but had to reschedule to avoid interfering with afternoon prayers.
• Three people identified as Naeem, Bilal, and Nauman were killed, with two dying from bullet wounds.
• The third death's cause is unclear, pending post-mortem results.
• The district administration declared peace later, confirming the situation had calmed down.
• Sambhal police have filed an FIR regarding the violence, with several injured police officers providing statements.
• The divisional commissioner confirmed that police had used force, including tear gas and plastic bullets, to protect the survey team.
• The survey is being conducted under court orders and aims to document the site without damaging the mosque.
• Tensions have been rising in Sambhal since a local court ordered the survey on Tuesday, following the petition about the mosque's history.
• Supreme Court lawyer Vishnu Shankar Jain, who filed the petition, urged the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to take control of the disputed site.
• Local Hindu lawyer Gopal Sharma claimed the mosque's site was once home to a temple demolished by Mughal Emperor Babur in 1529.

In a bid to get battle-ready for the Assembly polls due in the capital early next year, the Congress on Sunday appointed Qazi Nizamuddin as the AICC in-charge of Delhi, replacing Deepak Babaria.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has also constituted a screening committee for the Delhi Assembly polls, with S Meenakshi Natarajan as its chairperson and Imran Masood and Pradeep Narwal as members.

Kharge has appointed Nizamuddin as the All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge of Delhi with immediate effect.

The Congress appreciates Babaria's contributions as the general secretary in-charge of Delhi, according to a statement issued by the party.

 NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar met senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan in Karad city in Maharashtra's Satara district on Sunday, a day after the Maha Vikas Aghadi was routed in the assembly elections.

Chavan said he discussed the poll results with Pawar in the courtesy meeting.

Former chief minister Chavan was defeated from the home turf of Karad South constituency by BJP nominee Atul Bhosale.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde was on Sunday night elected as the leader of the Shiv Sena Legislature Party.

The resolution to this effect was unanimously passed by all 57 MLA-designates at a meeting held at a suburban hotel.

Three more resolutions, including hailing Shinde for leading the party to a spectacular victory, thanking PM Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for their support and the people of Maharashtra for reposing their faith in the Mahayuti alliance, were also passed.

The Mahayuti of Shiv Sena, BJP, and NCP clinched a stellar victory, winning 233 out of 288 seats in the state assembly polls, leaving opposition MVA with a tally of 46 seats.

 The Manipur government scrapped its decision to reopen schools and colleges in Imphal Valley and Jiribam district on Monday, officials said.

Schools and colleges were shut in Imphal West, Imphal East, Thoubal, Bishnupur, Kakching, and Jiribam for about a week due to prohibitory orders issued in view of fresh violence in the state, they said.

In a fresh order issued on Sunday night, the Directorate of Education - Schools said, "The school reopening order... dated November 24 regarding resumption of normal classes for all schools of the state, government, government aided, private and central schools, is hereby cancelled and all schools of valley districts will continue to remain closed on 25th and 26th of November." A similar order was issued for colleges as well, officials said.

Meanwhile, prohibitory orders in the Valley have been relaxed from 5 am to 12 pm to enable people buy essential items, according to separate notifications issued by the administrations of the five districts. 

RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat on Sunday emphasised the need to reintroduce India's forgotten pride, demanding a return to the country's core values and philosophical foundations. He delivered these remarks at Lokmanthan-2024, a gathering of "nationalist thinkers" in Bhopal.

During his speech, RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat highlighted the importance of aligning science with India's philosophical wisdom. 

Asserting that the BJP has always been focused on minority voters without any appeasement policies, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday said the party's victory in the Karimganj Lok Sabha constituency in June and the recent bypoll in the Samaguri assembly seat reflects the success of its principal of treating all equally.

Addressing a press conference here, he said the BJP has its roadmap defined for the minority-dominated seats for the 2026 assembly elections.

"Our focus has always been on minority voters but with the principal 'appeasement to none, justice to all'. It has also been reflected in our 'sabka saath, sabka vikash' motto," he said.

Sarma claimed that as a result of this non-appeasement policy, the BJP had won the Karimganj Lok Sabha seat and now the Samaguri assembly constituency, both of which have about 65 per cent Muslim voters.

"Karimganj was the best and most critical result for me in the Lok Sabha polls. But everyone was writing about Jorhat and undermining Karinganj," he said, referring to the attention to Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi's victory.

Rajasthan BJP in-charge Radha Mohan Das Agarwal on Sunday hailed the party workers for BJP's impressive performance in the Assembly bypolls held in the state recently.

The results of the bypolls were announced on Saturday, in which the BJP won five of the seven seats while the Congress and the Bharatiya Adivasi Party retained one seat each.

Speaking at the 'Sangathan Parv 2024', a workshop on the party's membership drive and organisational polls, the Rajya Sabha MP also called on the party workers to ensure the success of BJP's ongoing membership campaign in every district.

 Floor leaders of several opposition parties of the INDIA bloc would meet Monday morning to chalk out their joint strategy for the upcoming winter session of parliament.

The leaders would meet at 10 AM at the office of the leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge. Leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi is also likely to participate in the deliberations.

The opposition is seeking to corner the government on several issues, including Adani's indictment in the US, Manipur violence, and price rise.

The meeting also comes two days after the BJP-led alliance won Maharashtra assembly elections, while the INDIA Bloc won Jharkhand assembly polls.

During an all-party meeting convened by the government, the opposition on Sunday asked the Centre to allow discussions in the Parliament on the US prosecutors' bribery charges against the Adani Group, even as Union minister Kiren Rijiju made it clear that the matters to be taken up in the two Houses will be decided by authorised committees with the consent of the Chair.

The opposition has demanded that Gautam Adani be arrested and a probe be initiated against him.

It has also called for the formation of a Joint Parliamentary Committee to discuss the allegations against the Adani Group. 

Senior officials of the Election Commission of India called on Maharashtra Governor C P Radhakrishnan on Sunday to present copies of a gazette with names of the newly-elected members of the state legislative assembly.

Deputy election commissioner Hirdesh Kumar and chief electoral officer of Maharashtra S Chockalingam met the governor to present copies of the gazette and the ECI's notification at Raj Bhavan, a release stated.

The results of state elections were declared on November 23, and the names of elected legislative assembly members were published in the Maharashtra government state gazette vide the ECI's notification.

This was done as per the provisions of section 73 of the Representation of People Act, 1951.

The Additional chief electoral officer from the office of chief electoral officer, Maharashtra, Kiran Kulkarni, joint chief electoral officer Manohar Parkar, secretary ECI Suman Kumar Das and section officer Niranjan Kumar Sharma of the ECI were also present.

The Mahayuti retained power in Maharashtra with a landslide victory, winning 230 out of 288 assembly seats. 

A group of ploggers who have been cleaning the ghats in Kanpur for several years now caught Prime Minister Narendra Modi's attention, he said in his 'Mann Ki Baat' address on Sunday.

Modi said the Kanpur Ploggers Group's work was a unique initiative where morning walkers collect plastic and other waste from the Ganga ghats. It was a "remarkable example of dedication", he said in the roadio programme.

The group has been diligently plogging -- jogging while picking up litter -- for the last 183 weeks.

Dr. Sanjeevani Sharma, a dentist who founded the group on March 6, 2021, said she believes that those who pick up others’ waste are unlikely to litter themselves, a philosophy that drives their mission. They stopped work only for a period during the Covid pandemic.

The air quality index in Delhi continued to swing between the "severe" and "very poor" levels. The city's 24-hour average air quality index, recorded until 4 pm on Sunday, was 318 (very poor), improving from the severe category recorded the previous day when it was 412, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

None of the 38 monitoring stations in Delhi recorded AQI in the severe category on Sunday, compared to 20 stations that recorded severe air quality the previous day, according to the SAMEER app, which provides hourly updates on the National Air Quality Index.

An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered "good," 51-100 "satisfactory," 101-200 "moderate," 201-300 "poor," 301-400 "very poor," 401-450 "severe," and above 450 "severe plus." CPCB data identified PM2.5 as the primary pollutant, with its levels recorded at 138 at 3 pm.

PM2.5 particles, measuring 2.5 micrometers or smaller (about the width of a human hair), pose serious health risks as they can enter the lungs and bloodstream, according to the CPCB.

The Centre's Decision Support System (DSS) for Air Quality Management estimated that vehicular emissions contributed 18.1 per cent to Delhi's pollution on Sunday. Stubble burning, another major factor, accounted for 19 per cent of Delhi's pollution on Saturday.

Assam will be hosting a two-day business summit in February next year with a focus on attracting investment and developing the state's infrastructure, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said here on Sunday.

He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be inaugurating the 'Advantage Assam 2.0 - the Global Infrastructure and Investors' Summit' on February 24, with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to be invited for the valedictory session.

"We hosted the first 'Advantage Assam' investment summit in 2018, which led to agreements for investments of Rs 1 lakh crore. But due to the COVID pandemic, we could not hold any follow-up meet, even though the state has been attracting investments," Sarma said, addressing a press conference here.

He maintained that good governance and peace have contributed to the state emerging as an investment destination.

"Taking it forward, we will be hosting the two-day summit in February. The prime minister has already accepted our invitation, and we are hopeful that the finance minister will also give her consent though we are yet to meet her formally," Sarma said.

The CM said the focus of the summit will be equally on infrastructure and investment.

Three people were killed as protesters opposing a court-ordered survey of a Mughal-era mosque here clashed with security personnel on Sunday.

The protesters tried to torch vehicles and pelted stones at the police who used tear gas and batons to disperse the mob. "Shots were fired by the miscreants and some pellets struck our policemen. We are investigating where the shots were fired from, particularly in the Deepa Sarai area," an officer said.

Tension has been brewing in Sambhal since Tuesday when the Jama Masjid was surveyed on the orders of a local court following a petition that claimed that a Harihar temple stood at the site.

Moradabad Divisional Commissioner Aunjaneya Kumar Singh said, "Three people, identified as Naeem, Bilal and Nauman, have been killed. Some policemen, including the gunner of the superintendent of police, have also been injured." Ten people, including two women, have been detained and a probe has been launched, an official said, adding some people even set afire some motorcycles parked on the roadside.

The official said the accused in the violence would be booked under the stringent National Security Act (NSA).

The trouble started on Sunday morning when a large group of people gathered near the mosque and started shouting slogans as the survey team began their work in the Shahi Jama Masjid.

District officials said the survey was planned in the morning to avoid interference with the mosque prayers that are usually held in the afternoon.

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".

According to the local administration, a second survey 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.

"The survey was proceeding peacefully until a group of people gathered near the mosque and began raising slogans. When the police attempted to clear the area, a group of miscreants in the crowd started pelting stones at the police," said the Moradabad divisional commissioner.

He said the people involved in the violence were likely incited by individuals with vested interests aiming to disrupt peace in the area.

Superintendent of Police Krishna Kumar Vishnoi said, "The police used minor force and tear gas to bring the situation under control." He said those who engaged in stone pelting and those who incited them will be identified and action taken against them.

"We are in the process of registering an FIR in the incident. The accused will also be booked under the NSA," the police officer added.

District Magistrate Rajendra Pesia said, "Some miscreants resorted to stone pelting but the situation is peaceful now. Around 10 people have been detained in connection with the stone-pelting incident. They are being interrogated." Uttar Pradesh police chief Prashant Kumar told PTI that the situation was under control in Sambhal.

"We are monitoring everything. All police and civil administration officials are handling the situation on the spot. They are patrolling those areas. Anti-social elements will be identified very soon and strict action will be taken against them," the director general of police (DGP) said.

Massive violence has erupted in the Sambhal district of Uttar Pradesh with stone pelting after a survey team arrived at the Shahi Jama Masjid in the district, to conduct the survey of the mosque. The violence and unrest has escalated to the extent where the police was made to use tear gas and fire gunshots in the air to stop the violence. 

Now, the atmosphere in the Jama Masjid area of Sambhal remains peaceful. The vehicles set on fire across the area have been removed, and the stones scattered on the road have also been cleared by the Nagar Palika Parishad Sambhal.

UP Police and Central Forces have been deployed throughout the area. Additionally, all activities around the mosque are being monitored using drone cameras.

Police personnel have been stationed on rooftops to ensure that any suspicious activity or stone pelting from rooftops is identified and legal action is taken against the perpetrators.

Shiv Sena leader Shaina NC stressed the chemistry of the leadership trio of Mahayuti government in Maharashtra on Sunday as the alliance sweeped the state assembly elections.

Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Sunday said the Mahayuti leaders and BJP leadership will decide who will be the next chief minister of the state.

Bawankule also said the people of Maharashtra have rejected the Congress, noting that its state unit chief Nana Patole won by a margin of just around 200 votes.

Assam Rifles in a joint operation with the Customs department successfully seized 1000 gm of Crystal Methamphetamine commonly known as ICE in the international market valued at approximately Rs 16 crore in Badharghat, Tripura on Sunday, a press release said.

A District Reserve Guard (DRG) jawan was injured when a pressure improvised explosive device (IED) planted by Naxals exploded in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district on Sunday, officials said.
According to the officials, the blast took place between Raigudem and Tumalpad area of Sukma.

 Two drones and a packet of heroin were found near the India-Pakistan border in Punjab's Amritsar district, a BSF spokesperson said on Sunday.

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Sunday elected party president Ajit Pawar as the leader of the party in the legislative assembly

BJP workers, MLAs favour Devendra Fadnavis as Maharashtra CM: BJP's winning candidate Ashishrao Deshmukh

Stressing that many experiments are being done to instil creativity and love for books among children, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday praised the establishment of such libraries in different states that became a hub of "creativity" and "learning."
In his address during the 116th episode of 'Mann Ki Baat,' Prime Minister Modi said that the endeavour is to instil more creativity and more love for books.

Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya on Sunday said that action will be taken against those who attempted to hinder the survey of the mosque which was being conducted by government and police personnel, who were following orders of the court.

 All-party meeting is underway at the Parliament, ahead of the Winter Session of Parliament which will begin tomorrow, 25th November and continue till 20th December.

In the 116th episode of 'Mann Ki Baat', Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "A 'Mini India' also exists in Guyana, thousands of kilometres away from India.  About 180 years ago, people from India were taken to Guyana to work as labourers in the fields and for other work. Today, people of Indian origin in Guyana are leading Guyana in every field of politics, business, education and culture. Guyana's President Dr Irfaan Ali is also of Indian origin and is proud of his Indian heritage."

In the 116th episode of 'Mann Ki Baat', Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "I have come to know about another such effort being done in Slovakia which is related to preserving and promoting our culture. Here, for the first time, our Upanishads have been translated into the Slovak language. These efforts also show the global influence of Indian culture. It is a matter of pride for all of us that there are crores of people around the world who have India in their hearts...."

In the 116th episode of 'Mann Ki Baat', Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "Today is NCC Day. As soon as we hear the name of NCC, we remember our school and college days. I myself have been an NCC Cadet, so, I can say with full confidence that the experience I got from it is invaluable for me. NCC instils a spirit of discipline, leadership and service in the youth. You must have seen around you that whenever there is a disaster somewhere, be it a flood, an earthquake or any accident, NCC cadets are definitely present there to help...." 

In the 116th episode of 'Mann Ki Baat', Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "From the ramparts of Red Fort, I have appealed to such youth to join politics, whose entire family has no political background. To connect one lakh such youth, new youth, with politics, many special campaigns will be run in the country.  'Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue' is also one such effort."

In the 116th episode of 'Mann Ki Baat', Prime Minister Narendra Modi says, "Next year marks the 162nd birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda. This time it will be celebrated in a special manner. On this occasion, on January 11 and 12 at Delhi's Bharat Mandapam 'Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue' will be organised...Around 2000 youths from all the state, district and village will participate in this" 

Sambhal SP Krishan Kumar reached the spot where an incident of stone pelting took place when a survey team arrived at the Shahi Jama Masjid to conduct a survey of the mosque.

A survey team that arrived at the Shahi Jama Masjid to conduct a survey of the mosque in Sambhal district amid heavy police deployment faced stone-pelting from some "anti-social elements" on Sunday morning, police said.

Visuals show police using tear gas to control the situation in the area.
Director General of Police (DGP) UP, Prashant Kumar said that the situation is under control now.

A survey team that arrived at the Shahi Jama Masjid to conduct a survey of the mosque in Sambhal district amid heavy police deployment faced stone-pelting from some "anti-social elements" on Sunday morning, police said.
Visuals show police using tear gas to control the situation in the area.
Director General of Police (DGP) UP, Prashant Kumar said that the situation is under control now.

Residents in the national capital complained of breathing difficulties as the air quality in Delhi remained in the 'very poor' category on Sunday for the third week post-Diwali.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is set to embark on an official visit to Italy from Sunday. During his trip, Jaishankar will participate in the Outreach Session of the G7 Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Fiuggi, Italy, where India has been invited as a guest country.

Manipur Police arrested seven more people for causing damage and engaging in arson at the residences of legislators in Imphal Valley on November 16, an official statement said on Sunday.

The arrests were made in the last two days.

From Kakching district police arrested three persons on Friday, the police statement said.

Smog engulfs the Red Fort and surrounding areas as the air quality deteriorates to 'Very Poor' category in several parts of the national capital, as per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).   AQI in Chandni Chowk is at 349

Mumbai city wakes up to a layer of smog lingering in the air.  

The main accused in the murder of Delhi Police constable Kiranpal was killed in an encounter with a joint team of local police and Special Cell in the Sangam Vihar area of South Delhi, police said.

Union Minister Piyush Goyal termed Mahayuti's win in Maharashtra a 'good message' to accelerate the goal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's developed India 2047, adding that the people in Maharashtra supported the good work done by PM Modi.

Security forces have launched massive search operations near Tirupati Balaji Mandir in Jammu.

This comes after inputs of some suspected explosives in the area; no explosive recovered so far.

Senior officers of Jammu and Kashmir police as well as Special operations group are on the spot

The centre will hold an all-party meeting today ahead of Winter Session of Parliament. The meeting to be presided over by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

The winter session will commence tomorrow and will continue till December 20

As many as seven people were killed and four others were critically injured after an RTC bus collided with an auto carrying agricultural labourers near Thalagaspalle in Garldinne Mandal of Andhra Pradesh's Anantapur district.

As per district police, 12 agricultural labourers from Nellutla village in Kuttluru Mandal were travelling in an auto to work in Garldinne.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday celebrated outside the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) office by bursting crackers after the results of the by-elections to nine assembly seats in the state were declared.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched a scathing attack on the Congress after BJP-led alliance's, historic victory in the Maharashtra assembly polls, alleging that it "'parjeevi" party that "sinks boat of its allies".
He also emphasised his 'Ek hain toh safe hain' slogan, saying that biggest message of Maharashtra elections is unity.

The Election Commission of India on Saturday declared the results of by-polls of 48 assembly seats held across 13 states with BJP and its allies winning majority of the seats while Congress won both Lok Sabha constituencies of Wayanad in Kerala and Nanded in Maharashtra.