Sambhal violence: Police take Jama Masjid Committee chief Zafar Ali into custody to record statement | India News

The Special Investigation Team of Sambhal police on Sunday took Zafar Ali, the president of the Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal, into custody to record his statement in reference to the violence that eruted within the district on November 24.
The Mughal-era mosque has been on the heart of a major controversy following claims that it was constructed on the positioning of an historical Hindu temple. The violence throughout protests towards a court-ordered survey of the mosque resulted in 4 fatalities and quite a few accidents, together with amongst police personnel.

Sambhal Kotwali in-charge Anuj Kumar Tomar confirmed that Ali was not formally arrested however was taken into custody for recording his statement concerning the occasions of November 24.
Reports point out that Ali was among the many first to obtain details about the survey, which sparked protests that escalated into violence as locals gathered outdoors the mosque.
The November 24 incident led to widespread unrest, with protestors clashing with police, throwing stones, and setting autos ablaze. The police responded with tear gasoline to disperse the group. In whole, the SIT has filed a chargesheet exceeding 4,000 pages throughout six of the twelve circumstances associated to this violence, naming 159 people as accused.
The chargesheet additionally revealed that weapons recovered from the scene had been manufactured in international locations together with the United Kingdom and Germany.

All calm in Sambhal

Since the preliminary outbreak of violence, Sambhal has remained comparatively calm, with no additional incidents reported. In anticipation of upcoming celebrations, together with Holi, native authorities have maintained a heavy police presence and carried out flag marches to guarantee public security.
During this era, residents celebrated Holi peacefully alongside Friday prayers on the mosque.
Circle Officer Anuj Chowdhary had led a flag march together with different police personnel to make sure the legislation and order scenario within the district earlier than Holi. Other than police, paramilitary forces additionally carried out a flag march in Sambhal, whereas the administration is utilizing drones for correct monitoring of the scenario within the district.
The act of whitewashing the Jama masjid, a daily affair was additionally completed after a courtroom order.
Talking concerning the whitewashing on March 16, Zafar Ali said that they may strive to full the whitewashing job as per the courtroom orders. The Jama Masjid Sadar Chief said that the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has undertaken the work and appointed all labour.