Sambhal violence deemed pre‑planned conspiracy by Uttar Pradesh judicial commission

A judicial commission report on the November 24, 2024 clash at the Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal was tabled in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly. The inquiry concluded the unrest was a "pre‑planned conspiracy" rather than a spontaneous outbreak. It found that the bullets that killed four people were not fired by police and that rioters attempted to seize police weapons.

The violence erupted during a court‑ordered survey of the ASI‑protected mosque, following a petition questioning whether the site was originally a temple. The commission implicated several local leaders, including Samajwadi Party MP Zia‑ur‑Rehman Barq, MLA Iqbal Mahmood’s son Suhail Iqbal, and Jama Masjid officials President Zafar Ali and Secretary Mashhood Ali Farooqui, alleging they mobilised the community with inflammatory speeches. The report praised the district administration and police for a restrained response despite the chaos.