Sambhal mosque survey clash: Internet suspended in Tehsil area, schools shut after 3 deaths in clash | 10 points

The Sambhal district administration in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday ordered a 24-hour internet suspension in the Sambhal Tehsil following violence over a mosque survey that left three people dead. Schools in the area will also remain closed.

The unrest began when a team arrived at the Shahi Jama Masjid to conduct a fresh survey on Sunday, prompting locals to allegedly attack security personnel and pelt stones at the police. In response, the police used tear gas to disperse the crowd.

The survey was carried out as part of a legal process linked to a petition by senior advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, who claimed the mosque was originally a temple.

Here are the top 10 updates

1. Sambhal District Magistrate Rajendra Pensia ordered a 24-hour internet shutdown in Sambhal tehsil saying, “The order will be effective in the Sambhal tehsil area and the decision on further extension will be taken after assessing the situation tomorrow (Monday).” Schools will also remain closed under limits of Sambhal Tehsil.
2. Three people died so far, and about two dozen others, including policemen and senior officials, were injured. Four senior police officers, 20 policemen, and a deputy collector were among the seriously injured, while a police PRO sustained a bullet injury to his leg. Officials confirmed a magisterial inquiry has been ordered into the violence.
3. Moradabad divisional commissioner Aunjaneya Kumar Singh said the three deceased individuals were identified as Naeem, Bilal, and Nauman. He also said, “Some policemen, including the gunner (bodyguard) of the superintendent of police, have also been injured.”
4. Superintendent of Police Krishan Bishnoi clarified in a press conference about the security measures during the mosque survey, saying, “We had deployed our forces properly in the area according to the letter of the DM for conducting the survey. If any overnight planning happens within a community and then they gather, it is not a security or intelligence failure. It is an eventuality and we dealt with it accordingly.” He added that police did not fire gunshots but used tear gas shells and pellet guns.
5. The ASI team visited Shahi Jama Masjid to conduct a fresh survey following court orders. Officials said that the survey, conducted from 7 am to 11 am, began peacefully under police presence. However, tension escalated when a mob gathered and pelted stones at the survey team and security personnel. Divisional Commissioner Singh told ANI, “Some people started stone-pelting, and the police dispersed them. Then, a larger mob of 2000-3000 people gathered and started stone-pelting again.”
6. Protesters torched vehicles and pelted stones at police officers. Security forces responded with tear gas and batons to disperse the mob. Over 15 individuals, including two women, were arrested for stone-pelting, officials said.
7. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav criticised the BJP on Sunday, accusing the ruling party, government, and administration of “orchestrating” the Sambhal violence to “divert attention from electoral malpractice.”
8. The initial survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid in Kotgarvi locality was conducted on November 19 following a local court's direction, based on a petition alleging that the mosque was built in 1529 after demolishing a Harihar temple. Since the survey, tensions have been rising in Sambhal.
9. Supreme Court lawyer Vishnu Shankar Jain, a petitioner in the case, stated, “The court of civil judge (senior division) ordered the constitution of an 'Advocate Commission' to survey the mosque.” The court directed the commission to conduct videography and photography during the survey and submit its report by the next hearing on November 29.
10. The petition concerning the mosque includes the Central and Uttar Pradesh governments, the mosque committee, and the district magistrate of Sambhal as parties, Jain mentioned on Tuesday.