Bareilly: Three people were killed and several others, including 20 policemen, were injured in a violent clash on Sunday morning during a court-ordered survey at the Mughal-era Jama Masjid in Sambhal. Till the last news was received, the condition of three people including a police officer injured in the firing is said to be critical.
About a dozen people, including two women, have been detained.
The survey was ordered following a petition filed by senior lawyer Vishnu Shankar Jain, which claimed that the mosque was originally a temple.
Mosque survey ‘burned’ in Sambhal: Bullets fired, stones pelted. 3 killed, more than 30 policemen injured
The survey by the Archaeological Survey of India team under the supervision of Court Commissioner Ramesh Singh and in the presence of DM Rajendra Pensia, SP Krishna Kumar and other officials began at 7 am and initially went peacefully. Around 9 am, a crowd gathered outside the mosque, reportedly raising slogans and pelting stones at police personnel.
Divisional Commissioner Aunjaneya Singh said, “A mob of 2,000-3,000 people gathered and pelted stones at the police personnel deployed for security. Despite initial efforts to disperse them with tear gas and lathi charge, the mob intensified its attack. and started firing from nearby houses.” Due to which many officers including SP PRO, SDM Ramesh Babu and Circle Officer Anuj Choudhary were injured, who were hit by bullet fragments. Singh said that the SDM suffered a fracture and more than a dozen policemen were injured. The mob also set many vehicles on fire.
The unrest later spread to Deep Sarai, where people reportedly pelted stones at police from houses. “Children aged 12-15 were used as shields and many of the perpetrators were below 25 years of age. Many women were also involved,” Singh said.
