Sambhal Violence: Congress Leader Calls For SC-Monitored Probe

Congress leader KC Venugopal on Monday criticized the Yogi Adityanath-led government over the violence in Sambhal, alleging a “conspiracy to polarise society and escalate tensions.” He called for a Supreme Court-monitored investigation into the incident.

“The violence and riots in Sambhal, UP point to a clear conspiracy on the part of the Modi-Yogi ‘double-engine government’ to polarise society. The haste with which the so-called survey was…carried out shows a deeper conspiracy to create instability and fear among the people of the region,” Venugopal wrote in a post on X.

“Multiple ground reports suggest the killings at the hands of the police who deliberately escalated matters to this level. This shows clear complicity of the State in this riot and a neutral, Supreme Court-monitored probe is the need of the hour to restore peace and bring justice to the victims of this mob violence,” he added.

Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party MPs, led by party president Akhilesh Yadav, met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday to discuss the Sambhal incident. Opposition members have been vocal in criticizing the state government and sought to raise the issue in Parliament.

Akhilesh Yadav alleged that Samajwadi Party MP Zia-ur-Rahman Barq had been falsely implicated in the incident despite being absent from Sambhal.

“Our MP was not even in Sambhal during the incident and despite that, an FIR was lodged against him. It is very unfortunate to know about the young people who have lost their lives in this incident. From all the videos we have, we know it was a riot by the government. The government was looting votes, playing with the EVM machines… they did riot in Sambhal,” he claimed.

Yadav further questioned the state government, criticizing the legal process that, he alleged, proceeded without hearing the other side. He demanded action against the police officials involved in the incident.

The violence in Sambhal began with a stone-pelting incident on Sunday when an ASI team arrived at the Shahi Jama Masjid to conduct a survey, as per official reports. The survey was part of a legal process initiated after a petition by senior advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, who claimed the mosque was originally a temple.