Sambhal violence: Police release photos of rioters including three women

New Delhi, Nov 27 (IANS) The Uttar Pradesh (UP) administration on Wednesday made public photos of several rioters who went on a rampage in Sambhal on Sunday, attacking the police as well as the mosque survey team.

This includes three women accused also, who allegedly helped the stone-pelters in escalating violence during the deadly face-off between protesters and the police.

The violent confrontation in Sambhal on Sunday has resulted in the death of four youths and injury to several people, including over a dozen policemen.

The violence broke out as a mob gathered outside the city’s Jama Masjid to protest against the court-ordered survey.

According to police sources, many startling findings are coming to the fore in the events of the day as the accused and suspects are being grilled.

Police maintain that it was a pre-planned attack with the blessings of some ‘influential’ people.

“Women accomplices were instructed to hurl stones at the cops from the rooftops,” one of the accused told the police.

Meanwhile, reports suggest that the UP government is contemplating strict action against the rioters for the arson, destruction and vandalisation of public property in Kot Garvi, the area where the centuries old mosque is situated.

While an ASI team conducted a survey of the mosque, the violent crowd torched many vehicles including those of the police, resulting in retaliatory action by the cops.

A Magisterial enquiry is underway into the violence. Footage from CCTVs and drones is being scanned to identify the perpetrators who unleashed violence on the police team.

A total of 27 people have been arrested so far while over 100 others have been identified for pelting stones at the policemen.

Sambhal MP Zia-ur-Rehman Barq and Sohail Iqbal, the son of MLA Iqbal Mehmood – both from the Samajwadi Party (SP) have been booked by the Sambhal police for alleged complicity in the riots.

The framing of charges against the SP lawmakers has triggered a war of words between Akhilesh Yadav and the ruling BJP.

The former has held the state administration as well as UP Police responsible for the bloody violence while the latter has charged the SP lawmakers of inciting and instigating the mob.

The matter pertains to the survey of the 16th century Jama Masjid, a Mughal era mosque in Muradabad’s Sambhal, as mandated by the court, following petitions which claim that a Harihar temple once stood at the site.

--IANS

mr/rad