Lucknow: A year after communal violence in Sambhal left four people dead and dozens, including 29 police personnel, injured, a three-member judicial commission has submitted its long-awaited report to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
The 400-page document, prepared after months of investigation, has sparked intense speculation, with reports suggesting it points to a larger “demographic shift” in the region and calls the November 2024 unrest “preplanned and orchestrated.”
The report, compiled by a panel led by retired Allahabad High Court judge Justice Devendra Kumar Arora, with former DGP Arvind Kumar Jain and ex-IAS officer Amit Mohan Prasad as members, remains officially confidential for now.
Principal Secretary (Home) Sanjay Prasad confirmed its submission and stated that the state Cabinet will first study it and subsequently table it in the Assembly before any action is taken.
Political War of Words Over Report
The contents of the report, though yet to be made public, have already triggered a political slugfest.
Congress state president Ajay Rai slammed the alleged selective leaks, accusing the ruling BJP of exploiting the incident to polarize voters. “The report is confidential, yet its contents are being discussed publicly…
This is clearly an attempt by the government to distract people from real issues like unemployment and agrarian distress, and to again play the Hindu-Muslim card,” Rai said.
BJP spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi, however, defended the government’s focus, stating: “Demographic change is a bitter truth. Sambhal is not the only district witnessing an exodus of Hindus; there are over 100 such districts in India.
We expect the government to formulate a robust policy to reverse this trend and bring back Hindus who were forced to flee due to a conspiracy against them.”
Key Findings: Demographic Shifts, Communal Clashes, and Foreign Arms
Sources familiar with the commission’s findings claim the report paints a grim picture of Sambhal’s history of communal unrest, identifying 15 riots between 1936 and 2019, resulting in over 200 deaths.
It reportedly attributes the region’s volatility to appeasement politics and illegal encroachments over decades, which, the report suggests, have contributed to a decline in the Hindu population in the area.
The November 2024 violence erupted during an ASI-supervised survey of Sambhal’s Shahi Jama Masjid, carried out after a petition alleged that the mosque was built over a temple in the 16th century.
The commission reportedly identifies a speech delivered by Samajwadi Party MP Zia ur Rehman Barq at the Jama Masjid as a key trigger of the unrest.
Adding further complexity, the report reportedly highlights intra-community tensions, citing historical conflicts between “foreign Muslims” (Turks) and “converted Hindus” (Pathans) in Sambhal.
Encroachments and Organized Crime Links
The inquiry also sheds light on rampant encroachments of religious and heritage sites in Sambhal.
Government drives conducted after the violence unearthed 68 illegally occupied pilgrimage sites and 19 sacred wells, which were subsequently cleared.
Further, the report reportedly links a local gang leader, allegedly involved in fake currency rackets, to the violence, claiming he played a role in stoking unrest.
Alarmingly, many of the weapons seized from the site of the clashes were reportedly foreign-manufactured, primarily originating from the United States—a detail that underscores the premeditated nature of the violence.
The Timeline of Violence
The Sambhal dispute dates back to November 19, 2024, when Hindu petitioners filed a suit claiming the Shahi Jama Masjid was built over a Hindu temple.
A court-ordered survey was conducted on the same day, followed by a second round on November 24. It was during this second survey that large-scale clashes broke out, resulting in four fatalities and numerous injuries.
Police later named MP Barq and mosque committee head Zafar Ali in FIRs, in addition to registering cases against 2,750 unidentified individuals.
The Road Ahead
While panel member and former DGP Arvind Kumar Jain described the commission’s report as “voluminous,” he refused to comment further, citing its confidential status.
The government is expected to scrutinize the findings before formulating policies to address Sambhal’s volatile communal situation.
The submission of the report is likely to intensify political and social debates, particularly over sensitive issues of demographic change, religious encroachment, and organized conspiracies fueling violence.
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