Sambhal violence: SIT likely to file charge sheets today
Charge sheets will be filed in eight FIRs related to the violence and the 90-day deadline for investigation will be over on February 23, says ASP
LUCKNOW The special investigation team (SIT) formed to probe the Sambhal violence during the survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid on November 24 is likely to file chargesheets in court on Wednesday. The case relates to clashes that erupted during a court-ordered ASI inspection of the Mughal era mosque, leaving four people dead and 29 injured.
As many as 79 accused, including four women and two members of Shariq Satha gang, have already been arrested in the FIRs related to Sambhal violence lodged against 38 named accused and 2,500 unidentified accused involved in pelting police personnel with stones, firing and arson during the survey on November 24.
The newly introduced Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) provision mandates that chargesheets in criminal cases must be filed against the accused within a prescribed period of 60-90 days, otherwise the arrest is illegal, and the accused is entitled to bail. And this deadline is ending by February 23 (Sunday).
ASP (North) Shrish Chandra, heading the SIT, said the chargesheets will be filed in eight FIRs related to the violence and the 90-day deadline for investigation will be over on February 23.
Twelve FIRs related to the violence were lodged at different police stations. Eight, including five at Sambhal police station and three at Nakasha police station, were lodged on November 24, 2024, while four more FIRs were registered later during the course of investigation.
Nearly 150 other suspects will be included in the eight chargesheets to be filed on Wednesday. The role of other accused is also under investigation and separate chargesheets will be filed later this month, added the ASP.
Sambhal police station’s inspector in-charge, Anuj Tomar, confirmed that the chargesheets in five cases lodged at Sambhal police station are almost ready and most likely to be submitted in the court of chief judicial magistrate (CJM), Sambhal, on Wednesday. Similarly, a cop of Nakasha police station said the chargesheets in all three cases registered with this police station are ready and will be submitted with the CJM court on Wednesday.
Another police official said the chargesheets have been sent to the SIT for reevaluation before being submitted.
Two of these cases are related to the killings of four people - Ayaan, Bilal and Mohd Kaif and Naeem - who succumbed to bullet wounds in the firing by Mullah Afroz and Waris, gang members of Dubai-based gangster Shariq Satha. Mullah Afroz was arrested on January 18 in the case related to the murders of Ayaan and Bilal while Waris was nabbed on January 24 for the murders of Mohammed Kaif and Naeem.
He said Shariq Satha’s name is also likely to be included in the chargesheet as one of the key conspirators in the violence. Shariq reportedly tried to escalate the violence by directing his two aides to kill people among protestors, following which four protestors were killed.
Satha is said to be associated with underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and Pakistani intelligence agency, ISI, the police claimed.
Sambhal made headlines after the court of civil judge (senior division) on November 19 last year ordered a survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid following a petition by Supreme Court lawyer Vishnu Shankar Jain. The court also appointed Ramesh Raghav as the advocate commissioner to carry out the survey. The advocate commissioner carried out an initial survey of the mosque on November 19 evening in the presence of district magistrate Rajender Pensiya and superintendent of police KK Bishnoi. A second round of the survey began on November 24, sparking protests and violence.