Devotees leave after offering prayers at the Shahi Jama Masjid amid tight security, in Sambhal.
Credit: PTI File Photo
Lucknow: A police outpost would be established close to the Jama Masjid in Sambhal, which had witnessed large scale violence during its court mandated survey in which four people were killed and scores of others injured, last month.
The ‘bhumi-pujan’ (a ritual before launching the construction work) of the land on which the police outpost would be set up, was conducted on Saturday in the presence of senior civil and police officials.
The outpost is being constructed in the field in front of the Jama Masjid.
A senior official said that the decision to set up the police outpost was taken after the violence on November 24 took place during the survey of the mosque.
He said that presence of the police personnel near the mosque would strengthen the security in the area and help maintain peace in the communally sensitive town.
The official said that the police outpost would be called ‘’Satyavrat Police Chowki’’ keeping in view the historical and religious significance of the town. ‘’The name reflects the historical and cultural heritage of Sambhal,’’ he added.
According to the sources, a few local people had claimed ownership of the land on which the police outpost was being constructed but their claims were rejected by the district officials.
Officials said that CCTVs were being installed in different localities in the town to keep an eye on the situation and ensure prompt action in the event of trouble.
The town had witnessed large-scale violence on November 24 when a court appointed team conducted a survey inside the Jama Masjid after a saffron outfit claimed that it was built after demolishing a Hindu temple during the Muslim rule.
The district administration launched a campaign against encroachment in the town after the violence during which several ‘ancient’ temples and ‘ponds’ were found.
The state government has also decided to re-open the 1978 communal riots cases in Sambhal following Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s remarks in the state assembly a few days back that 184 Hindus were killed in the riots, which had lasted for more than two months.