Sambhal violence: Police release photos of suspects, seek public help to identify

The Uttar Pradesh Police on Wednesday released images of persons allegedly involved in the mob that clashed with police in Sambhal on November 24. Police shared snapshots of CCTV footage and appealed to the public for help in identifying the suspected rioters.

Police have so far arrested 27 people in connection with the violence that left four dead and many injured. Of these, 25 ended up in prison and three detained minors were sent to youth centers.

Meanwhile, the Yogi Adityanath government stated that posters with images of the suspects will be put up in public places and a reward may also be announced for those who help identify the suspects. The government has already issued an ordinance for recovering damages and putting up posters against miscreants and criminals.

A large crowd of around 800 people gathered in Sambhal on Sunday to oppose a court-ordered investigation of a 16th-century mosque. A petitioner alleged that the mosque was built after the demolition of a temple.

Multiple FIRs have been registered in the case and one of the FIR names Zia-ur-Rehman Barq, the Samajwadi Party MP from Sambhal, as the main accused. Sohail Iqbal, son of party’s local MLA Iqbal Mehmood, is another accused named in the same FIR. The cases have also been filed against more than 2,750 unidentified suspects.

Sambhal police in the FIR claimed that Barq visited the Shahi Jama Masjid days before the violence and made provocative comments leading to the incident. It was also alleged that he mobilized the crowd to create communal tension for political gain. Another FIR stated that the mob had taken firearms from the police, used country-made weapons and attacked the police with the intention of killing them.