UP govt seeks report on 1978 Sambhal communal riots cases

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh government has sought a report on the 1978 communal riots in Sambhal, which had witnessed large scale violence recently during a court mandated survey of a mosque in which four persons were killed, from the district magistrate.

According to the sources, the district administration has been asked to send the report within one week.

Sources said that a letter was sent by the home department to the Sambhal district magistrate seeking a report on the 1978 Sambhal communal riots. The DM has nominated an additional superintendent of police level official to prepare the report.

Officials in Sambhal said that BJP member of the UP legislative Assembly Shreechandra Sharma had sought information about 1978 Sambhal communal riots from the government after which the state government asked the district administration to send the report. 

Although sources in the Sambhal administration said that there was no decision to launch an investigation into the 1978 communal riots cases, there was a possibility of an investigation depending on the content of the report.

The development follows chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s remarks in the state Assembly last month that 184 Hindus were killed in the 1978 communal riots, which had lasted for more than two months.

Earlier reports had claimed that the Sambhal district administration had been asked to hand over the files and records pertaining to the violence to explore the possibilities of re-opening the cases which were registered during and after the violence. Sources said that around 169 cases had been registered with regard to the violence.  

Sources said that the officials were examining if there were lapses in pursuing the cases and collecting evidence against the accused persons. 

Adityanath had claimed that Sambhal had a long history of communal riots since independence and that 209 Hindus had been killed in incidents of communal riots in Sambhal since 1947.