Sambhal: crowd protesting Masjid survey wasn't violent, says report

Lucknow: A fact-finding report by civil rights groups on the November 24, 2024, violence at the Sambhal in Uttar Pradesh found that the crowd protesting the court-ordered survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid here on the day was not violent as claimed by the state authorities. The report included eyewitness testimonies and videos saying that police exerted excessive force, including unlawful entries into homes, destruction of properties and beatings, Scroll.in reported.

The report was published by the non-governmental organisation Association for Protection of Civil Rights and the solidarity campaign Karwan-e-Mohabbat, which collected the mentioned evidence from Sambhal, where the Shahi Masjid is located in Chandausi town.

The violence happened before the mosque during a court-ordered second survey that killed five Muslim men. The report, released on Tuesday, examines the survey process and what happened after.

The fact-finding report says that a petition for the survey of the mosque, with claims that the structure was built destroying the temple, was filed on November 19th. The BJP’s Yogi Adityanath government in the state did not raise any objections against the demand for the second survey in the trial court, and a judgement was passed without the mosques' representatives being heard. Thus, the survey was conducted within hours on November 24. The report found that the administration proceeded towards the survey without even following protocols or basic communication norms. The survey was carried out “under visibly partisan circumstances (including the presence of a slogan-chanting mob), was especially incendiary”, the report said.

The officials drained out an ablution tank in the mosques, which was viewed by several protesters as deliberate desecration. Further, police responded to the crowd of protesting Muslims with lathi charges, tear gas and gunfire.

Weeks after the violence, the state police continued its action against Muslims, carrying out house-to-house raids in the name of encroachments, electricity thefts and illegal constructions. They also filed “dubious” FIRs against members of Muslim households.

On December 14, the administration initiated an anti-encroachment drive targeting Muslim-majority neighbourhoods and demolished portions of about 150 houses, shops and 10 mosques on the pretext of encroachment on government land.