Sambhal violence takes centrestage in Parliament as Oppn targets Centre

New Delhi: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav raised the Sambhal violence during the Winter Session of the Parliament that saw proceedings without disruptions in the Lok Sabha after a week-long stalemate.

The Opposition also staged a walkout after the government did not allow them to speak.

As the Zero Hour began, the Samajwadi Party chief rose to speak on the Sambhal issue and said the region was known to be a place of harmony and brotherhood and that the violence was "pre-planned".

“This was a well-planned conspiracy, done to shoot at the harmony of the district. The BJP and its allies and supporters are repeatedly talking about the excavation. This exercise will lead to a breakdown of our famed Ganga-Jamuni tradition,” Yadav said.

Yadav said that the violence followed the delay in holding bye-elections in the state. “The elections were first to be held on November 13 and that was then deferred to November 20. Suddenly on November 19, 2024, a petition was filed against the Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal. Curiously, the court did not listen to the other side and then gave an order for a survey the same day. There’s a reason we said that the government does not respect the Constitution,” Yadav said.

He added that within two hours, the Sambhal district officials and police landed at the spot for a survey. The same week, locals found a barricade to the mosque for Friday prayers, he added.

“The people acted responsibly and there was no untoward incident. But on November 23, the local officials said that another survey will be carried out on November 24. The Jama Masjid Committee said that for a second survey, another order from the court is needed. But the officials landed at the mosque early morning the next day,” he said.

Yadav further said that despite that, the survey first continued without any incident. “But when people gathered and asked the reason for a second survey, the circle officer misbehaved with them and there was a lathi-charge, leaving some injured. This led to a stone-pelting – there are videos of this. Some people who went to market, ended up being killed,” Yadav said.

Congress MP Ujjwal Raman Singh, too, called for justice for Sambhal violence victims, and demanded that the Supreme Court take action, before his mic was cut off. Opposition members then protested and staged a walkout.

Congress MP Manickam Tagore said that despite assurances, the government was indulging in “double standards”. “The government had assured us of time to discuss these issues, and yet, Akhilesh Yadav and Ujjwan Raman were both cut off. The government did not reply on the issue either, and so we walked out,” Tagore said.

On Wednesday, LoP Rahul Gandhi and newly-elected Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra are scheduled to travel to Sambhal. So far, no delegations of politicians were allowed to visit the troubled locality.

The Sambhal issue was also raised in the Rajya Sabha, where Samajwadi Party floor leader Ramgopal Yadav raised the issue and said Sambhal was converted into a police zone.

Yadav could not complete his speech and with Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar announcing that certain portions of his speech would not go on record, SP MPs protested and walked out along with some other Opposition parties.

Meanwhile, Congress deputy leader Gaurav Gogoi sought to raise the Manipur strife by submitting an adjournment motion. However, it was not accepted.