Sambhal Violence: Police file chargesheet against 79 accused, names int’l auto lifter as kingpin

The Sambhal police have filed an over 4,000-page chargesheet against 79 arrested individuals in connection with the November 24, 2024, violence during protests against the Jama Masjid survey. The chargesheet, submitted in the Chief Judicial Magistrate’s court on Thursday, names Dubai-based international auto-lifter as the mastermind behind the unrest.

The accused face charges of rioting, arson, and firing, with investigations revealing links to organized crime and foreign funding.

The chargesheet covers six cases registered in connection with the violence, in which five people lost their lives and 30 police personnel sustained injuries. The arrested individuals include three women. A woman named Farhana, initially accused, was released after no evidence was found against her.

Sambhal SP Krishan Kumar Bishnoi said that the process of filing chargesheets in cases related to last year’s violence has begun. “In a few cases concerning attacks on police personnel, the chargesheet was submitted in court on Thursday,” he told HT.

Investigations have revealed that Shariq Satha, a fugitive auto-lifter operating from Dubai, orchestrated the violence. His involvement came to light following the arrests of his two associates, Mulla Afroz and Mohammad Waris. According to a senior police official, Satha planned the unrest as part of a conspiracy to establish dominance in the region.

On Thursday, the police arrested another associate, Ghulam, who was allegedly involved in smuggling foreign weapons. Ghulam has 20 criminal cases registered against him in Sambhal, said police.

The police have registered 12 FIRs in the case, including four filed by the families of seven deceased victims and one by an injured person. The special investigation team (SIT) is currently investigating the matter.

Among those named in the FIRs are MP Ziaur Rahman Barq, Sohail Iqbal (son of MLA Iqbal Mahmood), and 37 others, along with 3,750 unidentified individuals. However, no chargesheet has been filed against the MP yet.

Police sources revealed that Satha has been running a car theft racket and is responsible for stealing over 300 vehicles from Delhi NCR before fleeing to Dubai in 2020. He is also allegedly linked to underworld figure Dawood Ibrahim and Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI.

According to police sources, Satha has been running a car theft racket and is responsible for stealing over 300 vehicles from Delhi NCR before fleeing to Dubai in 2020. He is also allegedly linked to underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI.

Investigators suspect Satha’s role in the Sambhal violence after detecting unusual money transfers to accounts in Sambhal and recovering foreign-made cartridges from the violence sites. His associates are believed to have fired the shots that killed four of the five deceased. No FIR was lodged in connection with the fifth fatality.

The clashes began after a Hindu group filed a petition in Chandausi’s civil court on November 19, claiming that the Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal was originally the Shri Harihar Temple. Following this, a two-phase survey of the mosque was conducted—first on November 19 and again on November 24.

During the second survey, tensions escalated as thousands gathered at the site, leading to violent clashes.