Sambhal riots: Judicial panel members record statements of govt employees
Judicial commission visits Sambhal for third time, recording statements on November violence; victims of 1978 riots demand justice and compensation.
The members of judicial commission constituted to probe the Sambhal violence visited that district third time on Thursday and recorded statements of the government employees who were on duty when the violence broke out in the Uttar Pradesh’s district on November 24, 2024 during the survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid in which four people had lost their lives.
Meanwhile, a group of people demanding justice for the victims of the 1978 Sambhal riots staged a protest outside the Inspection Bhawan where the judicial commission was sitting. They wanted to meet the commissioner members but the police force deployed there did not allow them to go inside.
A memorandum was also given to the SDM by the victims demanding re-investigation of the riots that occurred more than 46 years ago. Vishnu Sharan Rastogi, a senior citizen who claimed to be a victim of the 1978 Sambhal riots, said, “We have come here to meet the judicial commission members. We want to share our woes with them.”
“In the 1978 riots, my half shop was burnt and only ₹200 compensation was given to me then which was not appropriate. We could not raise our voice till now as MLAs and MPs were not listening to us. We demand the government to give us proper compensation,” he said.
Sambal SDM Vandana Mishra said, “Some residents of Sambhal gave a memorandum for the judicial commission demanding re-investigation of the 1978 riots. The judicial commission today (Thursday) recorded the statements of government employees who were on duty when the violence broke out during the survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid.”
Earlier, the judicial commission team inspected the violence-affected area on December 1, 2024. Again on January 21, 2025, the team visited Sambhal and recorded statements of 60 people.
Former judge of the high court Justice DK Arora is the chairman of the commission, while former additional chief secretary Amit Mohan Prasad and ex-DGP Arvind Kumar Jain are its members. The commission was set up on November 28.