All Rioters Samajwadis: UP DY CM Hits Out as Party Delegation Tries to Visit Sambhal Amid Tensions

Lucknow: A delegation of Samajwadi Party was stopped by the UP Police from visiting Sambhal which witnessed violent clashes on November 25 over the court-ordered survey of Mughal-era Mosque, on Saturday. According to sources, the SP's UP unit chief Shyam Lal Pal was also put under house arrest.  

Further party leader Mata Prasad Pandey on Saturday morning said that the district magistrate (DM) of Sambhal asked him not to visit the district over a phone call amid the prevailing tensions in the area. Pandey demanded a written notice prohibiting his entry into the district as per the rules.

For the unversed, the violent clashes left at least four people dead, leading to FIR against 800 people and arrest of at least 29 individuals.

Speaking to news agency ANI, Mata Prasad Pandey, Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly, said, "They (administration) should have given me a notice as per the rules that I cannot go there, but no written notice was given. They only talk on the telephone. They deployed the police. The Justice Commission is going there, media people are going there, will there be any unrest if we go there? This government is deliberately stopping us to hide all its work."

The senior SP leader further said that the Sambhal DM asked him not to come till December 10. Pandey said that he will decide after going to the party office.
"If I had to visit, I would have gone. But we sent the program. Sanjay Prasad (Secretary) told me to not visit (Sambhal), saying that the situation could change there. The Sambhal District Magistrate (DM) called me and asked me not to come there till December 10. I will go to the party office and decide what to do next," Mata Prasad Pandey said.

In response to the remarks made by former Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, the senior SP leader said that they don't provoke anyone. "We do not provoke anyone. The language that incites is used by Keshav Prasad Maurya ji. If the press can visit there, how will people get incited if I say the same thing? They should have given me a notice, but without any notice, they deployed police outside my residence. We will go to the party office and decide," Prasad said. 

Criminals of Sambhal Being Protected by SP: UP Dy CM

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak hit out at the SP over the violence, alleging all the rioters were linked with the Akhilesh Yadav -led party. He further suggested party supremo Akhilesh Yadav to “look into his own affairs.” He claimed that the criminals of Sambhal were being protected by the SP.

Pathak said, "Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav should look into his own affairs. The Sambhal incident happened due to criminals protected by the Samajwadi Party."

"The criminals of Sambhal are all Samajwadi. Akhilesh Yadav should apologize to the people. We will maintain law and order situation there...," he added.

Sambhal DM Prohibits Entry of Outsiders Till December 10

This SP leaders tried to enter Sambhal even as the district administration on Saturday imposed prohibited orders, restricting the the entry of outsiders till December 10.

"No outsider, any social organisation or any public representative can enter into the borders of the district without seeking the permission of the competent authority till December 10," Sambhal District Magistrate Rajendra Pensiya in a statement issued here.

Currently, Section 163 of the Bhartiya Nyay Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) is in place till December 10, 2024 in the district. Under this section, a gathering of five or more people without prior permission is prohibited. 

A 12-member delegation from the Samajwadi Party was scheduled to visit the affected area on Saturday. LoP Pandey said that they will go there to see the "atrocities caused by the Police."

"We will also meet the family members of the youth who lost their lives in the incident. Do Police ever take responsibility for their actions? ...These days Police keep both illegal weapons and the govt issued weapons. The Police use the other (illegal) weapon to fire," Pandey said. 

Earlier, SP MP Ram Gopal Yadav criticised the administration over the stone pelting incident in Sambhal and alleged that the administration had deliberately created unrest.

Meanwhile, opposition members are keen to raise the issue in the House and have targeted the Yogi Adityanath government over the violence. 

Why Was Survey Ordered?

The survey was part of an investigation into claims that the mosque was originally a Hindu temple. The situation turned violent when an angry mob started pelting stones on the survey team, leading to chaos and widespread unrest in the area.

Tension had been brewing in Sambhal since November 19 when the Jama Masjid was first surveyed on the court's orders following a petition claiming that a Harihar temple had stood at the site. On Sunday, trouble started early when a large group of people gathered near the mosque and started shouting slogans as the survey team began its work.

District officials said the survey could not be completed on Tuesday and was planned for Sunday to avoid interference with afternoon prayers. Supreme Court lawyer Vishnu Shankar Jain, who is a petitioner in the case, had earlier said the Court of Civil Judge (Senior Division) ordered the constitution of an "advocate commission" to survey the mosque.

The court has said a report should be filed after conducting a videography and photography survey through the commission, he had said. On Sunday, Jain urged the Archaeological Survey of India to take control of the "temple". Gopal Sharma, a local lawyer for the Hindu side, had earlier claimed the temple that once stood at the site was demolished by Mughal emperor Babur in 1529.

(With agencies inputs)