SP delegation to visit Sambhal on Saturday, authorities say prohibitory orders still in place

Lucknow: A 15-member delegation of Samajwadi Party (SP) will go to UP's Sambhal on Saturday to gather information about the violence that erupted after a court-ordered survey in the Shahi Jama Masjid complex, the party said on Friday.

A senior official of the local administration, however, said that prohibitory orders bar anyone from coming into the district on Saturday.

SP state president Shyam Lal Pal said a delegation will go to Sambhal on Saturday on the instructions of party chief Akhilesh Yadav. After taking detailed information about the violence, they will submit the report to the party chief, he said.

Congress state president Ajay Rai told PTI that a Congress delegation will go to the city on December 2.

The situation in Sambhal has been tense since the first survey of the city's Jama Masjid was conducted on November 19 on the orders of a local court. The petitioner has claimed that Jama Masjid stands on land where A Harihar temple stood before.

Violence erupted on November 24 as protesters gathered near the mosque and clashed with security personnel, leading to stone pelting and arson. Four people died and scores of others, including policemen, were injured in the violence. Police have denied firing at the protesters opposing the survey.

Ziaur Rahman Barq, who would be part of the party delegation, has been booked in connection with the November 24 violence for allegedly committing "provocative acts".

A note by SP state chief Pal shared on 'X' said that the delegation includes Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly Mata Prasad Pandey, Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council Lal Bihari Yadav, SP state president Shyamlal Pal, MPs Ziaur Rahman Barq, Harendra Malik, Ruchi Veera, Iqra Hasan and Neeraj Maurya.

MLAs Kamal Akhtar, Ravidas Mehrotra, Nawab Iqbal Mahmood and Pinky Singh Yadav will also be part of the delegation, the note said.

Earlier, the Samajwadi Party (SP) had postponed the proposed visit of its delegation after getting assurance from the Director General of Police of a fair investigation into the violence.

Leader of Opposition in the UP Assembly Mata Prasad Pandey had said in a press conference last Tuesday: "I was supposed to leave for Sambhal at 10 am today, but in the meantime I spoke to the Director General of Police. We told him that our people are being framed, even FIRs have been lodged against those who were not present there."

Pandey said the DGP assured him of a fair investigation and asked them to visit Sambhal after three days.

The Sambhal district administration has imposed prohibitory orders in the district and entry of outsiders is prohibited till Saturday.

Moradabad Divisional Commissioner Aunjaneya Kumar Singh, when asked about the SP delegation's visit, said the district magistrate's orders to bar any outsiders is still in force.

"Give some time, let everything become normal. Right now, we are taking steps to restore trust, after that we will not stop anyone (from visiting here). What is the hurry to come? If you want to meet family members or want to talk to someone, we will not stop anyone from coming. My appeal to everyone is to give some time, after that no matter who comes, we will have no problem," Singh said.

The DC added that people who were involved in the violence will be brought to book.

"More than 300 people have been identified so far... Our main emphasis is on collecting evidence," he said.