Akhilesh slams BJP on Sambhal
Akhilesh Yadav claims violence in Sambhal was a conspiracy to distract from bypolls, demanding police accountability for the clashes that left four dead.
The recent violence during a court-monitored survey of a mosque in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal town was part of a well-planned conspiracy to divert attention from crucial bypolls, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said on Tuesday, demanding action against the police for the clashes that have become a hot-button national issue.
Yadav, the member of Parliament from Kannauj, and senior SP leader Ram Gopal Yadav brought up the Sambhal clashes, where four people died and around 20 were injured, in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha respectively, the first time that the communally sensitive issue has been debated in Parliament.
Yadav also said that the Bharatiya Janata Party’s talk about “khudai” or digging at various sites across the country will hurt communal harmony.
“Sambhal is known for brotherhood that has been practised for thousands of years. However, the sudden incident that occurred was a premeditated strategy and a well-planned attempt to disrupt that brotherhood,” the SP chief said.
The former chief minister also linked the recent events with the delay in assembly by-elections in the state (the bypolls to nine assembly seats were pushed from November 13 to November 20), much to the chagrin of the treasury benches.
“I am calling the incident a thought-out conspiracy because the by-elections (in nine out of 10 assembly seats) were first supposed to take place on November 13, which were later postponed to November 20,” Yadav said.
Sambhal has been in the eye of the storm since November 19, when a Mughal-era mosque was surveyed on the orders of a court that was hearing a petition by Hindu groups who said a temple previously stood at the site.
Violence erupted during a second survey on November 24 as protesters gathered near Shahi Jama Masjid and clashed with security personnel. Four people died and 20 others, including police personnel, were injured in the violence that ensued.
Yadav blamed the local police and administration for the violence, alleging that police personnel fired from official and personal weapons, killing innocent people and injuring dozens after some locals pelted stones at them to protest their high-handedness.
“The administration and police arrived at the site within two hours without properly reading the court’s order. The mosque committee was informed about the survey’s completion after two-and-a-half hours. On November 22, locals were barred from attending Friday prayers as the site was barricaded,” he alleged.
Despite the matter being scheduled for further hearing on November 29, the police announced a second survey of the mosque on November 24, he alleged. “The mosque officials requested (for) a court order before the second survey, but the administration acted with authority and came to the site early in the morning to conduct the survey,” Yadav added.
When locals inquired about the reason for the second survey, the circle officer “abused” them and ordered a “lathi charge”. A few people then threw stones, resulting in police personnel firing at them, the SP chief said, adding that video recordings were available as evidence.
Yadav, the MP from Kannauj, held the petitioners who moved the civil court as well as the police and administration responsible for “deteriorating the environment in Sambhal”.
Referring to similar mosque survey demands at multiple sites, Yadav said the talk of digging across the country will adversely impact the communal harmony, brotherhood and “Ganga-Jamuni” culture.
Speaking outside Parliament, Yadav sharpened his attack at the BJP.
“This was a pre-planned conspiracy. There were discussions on the by-elections and how people were not allowed to vote. Muslims were not allowed to vote in Kundarki, Meerapur and Katehari. To avoid discussions on the elections, the (Uttar Pradesh) government planned this incident,” Yadav said.
In the November 20 bypolls, the BJP won seven and the SP two seats in results that were a big boost for the Yogi Adityanath government. The BJP victory in the Muslim-majority Kundarki was the highlight of the bypolls.
“How much are you going to dig? You want to dig everywhere... You are not looking at Mansarovar... Kailash Parbat is there. A day will come when that country will not even allow you to go for a Darshan. Who will think about that?” Yadav said. “You are digging here because you want to destroy communal harmony.”
He also hinted at a rift within the BJP. “The people of Lucknow are also adopting the same path that the people of Delhi had once adopted. The SP will never allow this to happen.”
Yadav’s uncle and Rajya Sabha member Ram Gopal Yadav also raised the Sambhal issue during the Zero Hour of the Upper House, blaming the UP government for the violence.
“On November 24, the whole of Sambhal was put under police cover and people were unaware why the police officials were being deployed. After some time, the senior superintendent of police, the lawyer who petitioned and some other individuals entered the mosque over drum beats. People were suspicious of the incidents. Meanwhile, the senior police official turned on the water tank there. It led to unrest which prompted firing incidents... Cases were filed, many were arrested and they were beaten brutally,” Ram Gopal said. He was interrupted when he claimed the incident was an attempt to divert attention from alleged malpractice in elections earlier in UP.
Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said certain parts of his statement would not go on record.
SP and some other opposition parties then staged a walkout, alleging that the senior lawmaker was not allowed to finish his speech even as he had about a minute left on the clock.
IUML’s ET Mohammed Basheer said, “That important legislation (Places of Worship Act) is between life and death now. In the Sambhal Masjid case... it is shocking that the peaceful coexistence in this country is becoming more and more difficult. Instead of one Babri Masjid, now more and more Babri Masjids are going to be created by these wicked people.”
Launching a counterattack on Yadav, senior BJP leader and transport minister Daya Shankar Singh called his charges “baseless”. “The SP’s goons are responsible for igniting violence in Sambhal. The party that treated the assembly by-polls as the semi-final to 2027 is rattled by its recent jarring defeat. And this is the reason why it is indulging in baseless allegations for its face-saving,” he said.
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