Sambhal on high alert for Friday prayers
Police and Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) personnel have been put on high alert in all districts of Moradabad division, including Sambhal, in the wake of hearing in the Shahi Mosque vs Harihar temple case in a civil court of Sambhal and offering of namaz at the Shahi Jama Masjid on Friday after the November 24 violence there
Police and Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) personnel have been put on high alert in all districts of Moradabad division, including Sambhal, in the wake of hearing in the Shahi Mosque vs Harihar temple case in a civil court of Sambhal and offering of namaz at the Shahi Jama Masjid on Friday after the November 24 violence there.
The violence broke out around Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal during the second round of the court-ordered survey of the mosque that was carried out following claims that a Harihar temple previously stood at the site on November 24, claiming four lives and causing injuries to over 20 cops and officials.
Moradabad division comprises Moradabad, Rampur, Sambhal, Amroha and Bijnor districts. Commissioner, Moradabad division, AK Singh said 16 companies of PAC, RAF and RRF have been deployed in Sambhal district, including the areas around Shahi Jama Masjid and the court where the hearing of the case will take place.
Meanwhile, three more persons accused of assembling people on the day of violence were sent to jail on Thursday. “A total of 30 people have been sent to jail for their involvement in the violence and photographs of over 300 people have been circulated in social media for identification,” Singh said
“Their photographs have been recovered from CCTV footage and video recording in which they were seen involved in pelting stones and violence”, he said and added that the cyber cell had been made hyper active to keep a close watch on rumour mongers and misleading posts on the social media.
The commissioner further said Sambhal DM Rajender Pensiya and SP KK Bishnoi held a meeting with Muslim clerics, seeking their support to ensure peaceful Friday prayers. “We have appealed to people to not come in big numbers to offer namaz in Shahi mosque but prefer offering prayers in mosques close to their homes,” Singh added.
The Sambhal SP said elaborate security arrangements had been made in areas around the Shahi mosque and in and around the court where hearing will take place. “Cops will keep a watch in the area through drones and eighteen magistrate have also been deployed at different locations of the district,” Bishnoi added.
Meanwhile, the DM and the SP led the flag march with police, PAC and RAF personnel through different routes in Sambhal.The police have installed nearly two dozen CCTV cameras near and around the Shahi Jama Masjid area. They have also replaced the cameras that were damaged during the November 24 violence.
Video recording of over five hours and hundreds of photographs taken during the survey of Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal district are being analysed and the court commissioner is likely to submit his report in the court during the next hearing of the case on Friday. The civil suit was filed on November 19.
A civil court deputed lawyer Ramesh Singh Raghav as court commissioner after hearing the pleas of Hindu side which claimed that the mosque was build on the ruins of the Harihar temple in 1529. Raghav carried out the mosque’s survey on November 19 and then on November 24.
“Analysing the recording of over five hours and hundreds of photographs of the survey was indeed a time consuming and tedious task. Efforts are underway to prepare and submit the final report during or before the next hearing on Friday otherwise request the court to give more time,” the court commissioner told HT.
