Sambhal Violence: Masjid Committee to move Allahabad High Court against survey of mosque

Lucknow: The Jama Masjid Committee in Sambhal said on Monday that a petition would be filed in the Allahabad High Court challenging the order of the district court on the survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid that led to large scale violence last week in which four persons had died and scores others were injured.

‘’We are in the process of preparing the petition….we will move the High Court in the next few days,’’ the chief of the Committee Zafar Ali said.

The Committee had earlier moved the Supreme Court, which stayed the decision of the district court and directed the Committee to approach the high court.

Meanwhile the police on Monday prevented a delegation of the UP Congress from proceeding to Sambhal saying that the entry of the outsiders had been banned by the administration.

Security personnel in strength were deployed outside the UP Congress headquarters here to prevent the Congress delegation from going out. Several senior state Congress leaders had reached the party office on Sunday night.

A minor scuffle also took place between the police and the Congress workers after the latter tried to break the barricades and go out. Slogan shouting Congress workers were pushed back by the cops.

UP Congress President Ajai Rai later embarked on a dharna with other senior party leaders in protest against the police action. He said that the Congress delegation would go to Sambhal after the ban on the entry of outsiders was lifted.

Four persons were killed and several others, including cops, injured when a mob pelted stones and torched vehicles in the town, about 400 kilometres from here, last week during a court ordered survey of the mosque after some Hindu plaintiffs claimed that the mosque had been constructed after demolishing a temple during the Mughal period.