In Sambhal, An Engineered Silence

Hassan had gone searching for his younger brother amidst the pathraaw (stone pelting) outside the mosque, when either a bullet or shrapnel pierced his body, injuring his right arm. He didn바카라�t see which 바카라�side바카라� the projectile came from바카라�locals or the police바카라�and didn바카라�t notice who was firing what.

바카라�Main beech mein phans gaya. Jo bhi tha, aar paar chala gaya,바카라� (I got stuck in the middle. Whatever it was, it went through me) he said three days later at the Sambhal district hospital, where policemen brought him after first taking him to the kotwali.

He is one of 2,500 people바카라�many of whom are unidentified바카라�booked by the Sambhal Police for Sunday바카라�s violence, which left five dead. Locals and leaders allege police fired fatal shots during clashes over a court-ordered 바카라�survey바카라� of Sambhal바카라�s Shahi Jama Masjid, following claims that the mosque was built on temple ruins.

Hassan바카라�s sister, Ashiya Bibi, said her brother told her he had been 바카라�shot with a bullet바카라� and is 바카라�in custody바카라� for suspected involvement in the violence. She also mentioned that the family is under immense pressure. 바카라�Hassan wasn바카라�t part of the crowd. He had just gone to look for our younger brother. Our father died only 20 days ago and we later found out the younger brother had gone to offer prayers at his grave nearby,바카라� she said. 바카라�Hassan was in the wrong place at the wrong time.바카라�

There are others in Sambhal who echo her travail, namely the families of five men, all working-class Muslims, including two teenagers, who died in the Sunday violence.

Mohammad Ayaan, 17, was heading to the eatery where he worked. Mohd Kaif, 18, sold cosmetics and was out buying materials for his stall. Bilal Ansari, 22, a handloom shop owner, awaited a delivery after securing a major deal with a Delhi distributor. Nayeem Ghazi, 35, ran a sweet shop and left home to purchase oil and flour. All lost their lives in the violence that erupted, leaving their families devastated.

Locals and eyewitnesses say tensions had been high in Sambhal바카라�s Muslim-majority neighbourhoods since Tuesday, November 19, when a group of Hindu petitioners, including advocate Vishnu Kumar Jain, filed a petition in the District and Sessions Court of Civil Judge Aditya Singh. The petition claimed the mosque was built on the ruins of the Hari Har Temple and sought to determine the site바카라�s character, demanding it be opened for Hindu worship. Incidentally, Jain has been involved in similar lawsuits in Ayodhya, Varanasi and Mathura.

Old Petition, New Ink

About 20 km from the mosque, Mahant Rishiraj Giri, head priest of the Kaila Devi temple in Sambhal and one of the Hindu petitioners, has spent the past week giving interviews, claiming it was 바카라�Hari바카라� (God) himself who instructed him to file the petition to reclaim the mosque.

바카라�It is the Hari Har temple. It has always been. Babur destroyed the temple to build a mosque,바카라� he asserts, speaking between the crackling static of his walkie-talkie, in the presence of armed police personnel. He cites these as 바카라�facts바카라� documented in texts like Baburnama and Ain-i-Akbari. 바카라�It바카라�s all in the petition. It바카라�s also on the internet,바카라� he insists.

He says what happened on Sunday should not have occurred. 바카라�The deaths are unfortunate. However, locals should not have interfered with the court-ordered survey work,바카라� he said. He claimed there was 바카라�intricate Hindu temple architecture inside the mosque compound바카라�, but admitted he had never entered the mosque. While he described seeing the Hari Har temple in Sambhal as his 바카라�childhood dream바카라�, he also said he decided to file the petition only in the 바카라�last year or two바카라�.

But Why Now?

The Kaila Devi priest claims the petition was filed now, after centuries of the mosque바카라�s existence, because 바카라�God willed it바카라�. However, the Muslim side alleges that the decision to conduct the survey was 바카라�hasty바카라� and disregarded the potential for communal unrest.

바카라�The survey order was passed on November 19 within hours of the petition being filed. The survey began at 5:30 pm without proper notices issued to the administration or the mosque committee, as is standard in such cases,바카라� said Qamar Hussain, a Sambhal-based advocate and part of the mosque바카라�s legal counsel team. He joked that the petition is 바카라�old wine in a new bottle,바카라� adding, 바카라�Since the Ayodhya judgement, it seems to have become a trend to target Muslim places of worship.바카라�

Mandir-masjid controversies have become a staple of Indian political discourse, often following a familiar script. In Varanasi (2022), the Gyanvapi mosque dispute escalated after a court-ordered survey claimed the mosque was built on Shringar Gauri temple ruins, leading to the alleged discovery of a Shivling. Similarly, in Mathura, Hindus claim the Shahi Eidgah mosque is built on temple land and marks Lord Krishna바카라�s birthplace, sparking demands for worship rights within these structures.

Less known than Ayodhya, Kashi or Mathura, Sambhal바카라�s mosque has long been a point of communal contention. In 1976, its imam (prayer leader) was murdered inside the premises by a Hindu fanatic on Shivratri, triggering month-long curfews and tensions. Cleric Mamluk Ur Rahman Barq recalls the incident바카라�s lasting impact. Now, his son, Samajwadi Party MP Zia-ur-Rehman Barq and MLA Nawaz Iqbal Mehmood바카라�s son, Sohail Iqbal, face police charges for allegedly instigating the violence. Sambhal SP Krishna Kumar Vishnoi alleges tensions escalated after Barq made inflammatory remarks about preserving the mosque, worsening the volatile situation.

Barq senior and local SP leaders believe there are other political motives at play. 바카라�The Kundarki by-elections were held a day after the first survey, possibly aimed at fomenting communal trouble. The BJP won Kundarki after 30 years and the next day, another survey took place, likely to intentionally provoke the minority population here,바카라� he said.

The BJP has accused the Samajwadi Party of inciting violence. On Monday, Uttar Pradesh Excise Minister Nitin Aggarwal blamed the 바카라�arson and violence바카라� on a power struggle between the Turk and Pathan communities.

Barq, of Turk origin, was accused of sparking tensions with Pathan community leader Sohail Iqbal. Barq, the former Kundarki MLA, whose Lok Sabha 2024 win led to the recent Kundarki by-poll, is attending Parliament바카라�s Winter Session in Delhi. He claimed the police named him in the FIR to 바카라�hide the truth바카라�, speaking to reporters outside Parliament.

History of Contention

Claims that the mosque was built on temple land trace back to a 19th-century report by British archaeologist A. C. L. Carlleyle. The 1979 Archaeological Survey of India report, cited by present petitioners, noted the mosque was constructed with rubble masonry that could have been from a temple. It also questioned the authenticity of the inscription naming Babur as the mosque바카라�s benefactor, casting doubt on his involvement in its construction.

Sambhal is believed to be the birthplace of Kalki, the 10th avatar of Vishnu, prophesied to end the 바카라�Kali Yug바카라� in Hindu mythology. The Jama Masjid is located about 200 meters from the ancient Kalki worship site, which the BJP government recently renovated. Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the temple during its inauguration in February this year.

Jamiat-Ulama-i-Hind General Secretary Mohammad Hakimuddin Qasmi, who led a delegation to Sambhal after the incident, said the committee 바카라�had faith바카라� in the country바카라�s laws. 바카라�For centuries, we have prayed at this mosque and no one has had an issue. The Places of Worship Act, 1991, was intended to ensure communal safety and the integrity of places of worship, especially for minorities. We hope it will prevail,바카라� he said.

The Sambhal Shahi Jama Masjid Committee has approached the Supreme Court and has sought a stay on the November 19 order.

Silence in Sambhal

Meanwhile, in Sambhal, an oddly engineered silence weighs down the stillness of the empty streets. Twenty-seven people have been arrested since the violence, all Muslim, including three women and three minors. Over 70 people have been detained, based on videos, drone images and other sources. Many doors, windows and shopfronts remain boarded up and young and middle-aged men are missing from localities, fearing arrests. Even the sobs of those who lost a family member in what all agree was 바카라�avoidable바카라� violence are muffled, with families afraid to grieve aloud.

바카라�Police have been raiding homes and harassing people, accusing them of firing,바카라� said Nayeem Ghazi바카라�s mother, Idrisa. Family members of Mohammad Kaif and Mohammad Ayan share similar woes. Kaif바카라�s brother, Zaid, was picked up during a raid after Sunday바카라�s violence and allegedly assaulted. It was only after the family pleaded with the cops, citing Kaif바카라�s death, that Zaid was released. Mohammad Hussain, Kaif바카라�s father, was unwilling to discuss the matter further. 바카라�We are poor people. We바카라�ve already lost our young son. We don바카라�t want any more trouble,바카라� he said with folded hands.