Lucknow: The judicial commission which probed Sambhal violence has concluded in its report that misinformation, organised mobilisation, obstruction of the survey and provocative public messaging triggered the clashes that left four people dead and several police personnel injured.The three-member panel, headed by retired Allahabad high court judge Justice Devendra Kumar Arora, reconstructed the sequence of events after recording testimonies of police and administrative officials, litigants, advocates, Jama Masjid Intazamia Committee members, eyewitnesses, media personnel, Sambhal MP Zia-ur-Rahman Barq and others.According to the report, the dispute intensified after a Chandausi court on Nov 19, 2024, appointed Advocate Commissioner Ramesh Singh Raghav to conduct a survey of the Jama Masjid in Sambhal. Authorities arranged security and informed mosque committee president Zafar Ali about the court order before the exercise began.The commission said the first survey on Nov 19 faced repeated interruptions, with large crowds gathering inside and outside the mosque premises. Objections from committee members, disturbances and poor visibility prevented completion of the exercise, forcing its postponement.Ahead of the rescheduled survey, police held meetings with religious leaders and peace committee members, urging cooperation and highlighting prohibitory orders under Section 163 BNSS. However, the commission noted a surge in social media messages on Nov 21 and 22 urging people to assemble at the mosque, resulting in an unusually large turnout for Friday prayers.The report specifically referred to remarks made by MP Zia-ur-Rahman Barq at the mosque on Nov 22. According to the commission, his statements that the mosque would remain a mosque “until the Day of Judgment” created an impression among worshippers that the survey threatened its existence. Police subsequently served him a notice under Section 168 BNSS.The commission further noted that after the Kundarki byelection results were declared on Nov 23, Barq blamed the administration and police for his party’s defeat before leaving Sambhal. The same day, the Advocate Commissioner fixed Nov 24 for continuation of the survey and informed all stakeholders.On the morning of Nov 24, eyewitnesses reported people arriving from nearby villages from as early as 5am, with some allegedly carrying stones, sticks and firearms. The report said rumours began spreading when the mosque’s wazukhana tank was drained for photography and measurement during the survey. Claims that the mosque was being excavated or demolished quickly circulated among the crowd, fuelling anger.Soon after, large-scale stone-pelting erupted. Police responded with tear gas, but the situation escalated into arson, firing and attacks on public property. Vehicles, transformers and other infrastructure were set ablaze while security personnel came under sustained attack.Though the survey was completed by 10.30am, violence continued outside the mosque. The commission said postmortem and ballistic reports showed the four fatalities were caused by .315-bore firearms, weapons not used by police.The panel also questioned the conduct of Suhail Iqbal, son of MLA Iqbal Mahmood, noting that witness accounts contradicted his claim that he remained away from the violence. Testimony from the court commissioner’s cameraman described massive crowds, stone-pelting, use of country-made firearms and obstacles during the survey.The commission concluded that opposition to the survey, social media mobilisation, rumours surrounding the wazukhana inspection and public statements suggesting the mosque was under threat collectively created the circumstances that culminated in the Nov 24 violence.
