Two members of a three-member judicial commission formed by the Uttar Pradesh government to probe the November 24 violence in Sambhal reached Moradabad on Saturday, and are likely to visit the violence-hit town on Sunday, officials said. Moradabad Divisional Commissioner Aunjaneya Kumar Singh said, "Two members of the commission reached here on Saturday. The third member will join them on Sunday as they head to Sambhal." However, Singh did not identify the members who reached Moradabad on Saturday. Violence erupted in Sambhal on November 24 during a court-ordered survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid there, killing four persons and injuring many others. The survey was linked to a petition claiming that a Harihar temple once stood at the site of the mosque. The commission formed via a notification on November 28 has been directed to complete its probe within two months. Any extension of this timeline will require government approval. The commission headed by retired Allahabad High Court
Meanwhile, senior SP leader Mata Prasad Pandey was also stopped by the police early morning in Lucknow from visiting Sambhal. Pandey on Saturday morning informed that the district magistrate
Earlier, SP MP Ram Gopal Yadav also launched an attack against the administration in the stone pelting incident in Sambhal and alleged that the administration had deliberately created unrest
In a bid to maintain peace and order in the district, the Sambhal district administration on Saturday prohibited the entry of outsiders till December 10. "No outsider, any social organisation or any public representative can enter into the borders of the district without seeking the permission of the competent authority till December 10," Sambhal District Magistrate Rajendra Pensiya in a statement issued here. The move assumes significance as it came on a day when a 15-member delegation of the Samajwadi Party (SP) was to visit Sambhal to gather information about the violence that broke out after a survey in the Shahi Jama Masjid complex. Leader of Opposition in Uttar Pradesh Assembly Mata Prasad Pandey, who was to lead the 15-member SP delegation, told reporters outside his residence in Lucknow that Home Secretary Sanjay Prasad had called him up and requested him to not visit Sambhal. "The DM Sambhal had also called me up telling me that the ban on entry of outsiders has been exten
UP Governor Anandiben Patel has constituted a three-member Judicial Inquiry Commission to be headed by Justice Devendra Kumar Arora (Retired), Allahabad High Court, to probe the stone-pelting incident
Uttar Pradesh Assembly Speaker Satish Mahana on Friday administered the oath to the newly elected BJP and RLD MLAs. Voting for the by-elections in nine seats of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly was held on November 20 and the results were declared on November 23. In the by-elections, six MLAs of the BJP and one of its alliance partner Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) were elected. The Samajwadi Party stood victorious in two seats Karhal and Sisamau. On Friday, newly elected MLAs Ramveer Singh from Kundarki, Deepak Patel from Phulpur, Surendra Singh from Khair, Sanjeev Sharma from Ghaziabad, Dharmaraj Nishad from Katehari, Suchismita Maurya from Majhawan (all BJP) and Mithlesh Pal of the RLD from Meerapur took oath in the Assembly. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who was present on the occasion, congratulated the winning candidates and called it a victory of the state's development and people's faith. Deputy Chief Ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak, Uttar Pradesh BJP
Judicial Inquiry Commission to be headed by Justice Devendra Kumar Arora (Retired), Allahabad High Court and Retired IAS Amit Mohan Prasad and Retired IPS Arvind Kumar Jain
Security personnel were deployed in Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal for the third consecutive day on Wednesday after violence and ruckus ensued over an ASI survey
Meanwhile, in a joint press conference, Sambhal SP Krishna Kumar Bishnoi informed that a complaint has been filed against as many as 800 people after the violence
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In the wake of violence in Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday accused the Yogi Adityanath government of creating divisions while sitting in power and urged the Supreme Court to take cognisance of the matter and deliver justice. Three people were killed and scores of others, including security and administration personnel, injured as protesters opposing a court-ordered survey of a Mughal-era mosque in Sambhal clashed with police on Sunday. In a post in Hindi on X, Priyanka Gandhi said, "The attitude of the state government regarding the sudden dispute in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, is very unfortunate. The way the administration acted in haste in such a sensitive matter without listening to the other side, without taking both the parties into confidence, shows that the government itself spoiled the atmosphere there." The administration did not even consider it necessary to follow the necessary procedure and duty, the Congress general secretary ...
Meanwhile, a petition has been filed with the National Human Rights Commission on behalf of DK Foundation of Freedom and Justice in connection with the violent protest in Sambhal, Moradabad
A day after violence rocked Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Monday said the BJP's use of power to create a rift between Hindus and Muslims was neither in the interest of the state nor the country. He also urged the Supreme Court to intervene in the matter as soon as possible. Three people were killed and scores of others, including security and administration personnel, injured on Sunday as protesters opposing a court-ordered survey of a Mughal-era mosque in Sambhal clashed with police. A fourth injured person died on Monday. In a post in Hindi on X, Gandhi said, "The biased and hasty attitude of the state government on the recent dispute in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, is extremely unfortunate. I express my deepest condolences to those who have lost their loved ones in the violence and firing." The administration, without listening to all the parties, insensitively took action that vitiated the atmosphere further and led to the deaths of .
The Sambhal violence broke out over a court-mandated survey of the Mughal-era Jama Masjid which stemmed from a petition filed by a lawyer claiming the existence of a Hindu temple
A strict vegetarian diet, alcohol abstinence and behavioural training are among the steps the Uttar Pradesh Police is taking to ensure its personnel act as "servants of faith" and create a pleasant experience for the devotees gathering in this holy city for the Maha Kumbh. The Maha Kumbh will commence on January 13 on the occasion of Paush Purnima and conclude on February 26 on Mahashivratri. Senior Superintendent of Police (Kumbh) Rajesh Dwivedi emphasised that the primary focus of the police, alongside maintaining security, would be to foster a welcoming environment for the pilgrims. He said, "Our aim is to ensure that the devotees have a pleasant experience, and the police behave with warmth -- not just as enforcers of the law but as servants of faith." Police personnel to be deployed for the Maha Kumbh are undergoing behaviour-focused training at a designated facility within the mela area. External trainers are also being invited to impart lessons in etiquette and public ...
The father of the Samajwadi Party's Sambhal MP is among 34 people "bound down" by the local administration over apprehensions of breach of peace following claims that a local Mughal-era mosque was originally the site of an ancient temple significant to the Hindu faith. Subdivisional Magistrate (SDM) Vandana Mishra told PTI on Saturday that the 34 people had been bound down on a bond of up to Rs 10 lakh to maintain peace and order. The local administration can order someone to be bound down if they receive information that the person is likely to breach the peace, disturb public tranquillity, cause danger to public harmony or commit any wrongful act. Among the 34 people bound down is Mamlukur Rahman Barq, the father of the Samajwadi Party's Sambhal MP Zia ur Rahman Barq, the SDM said. Police had stepped up security, imposed prohibitory orders and conducted a flag march ahead of Friday prayers at the mosque. The mosque was surveyed on Tuesday on the orders of a local court following
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday said that global warming is a challenge for the world and it is a result of unplanned and unscientific development by the man. "The world is concerned; every person who has even a little positive feeling about the environment and the living world and its bright future in the country is concerned (about the environment)," he said, at an event organised to distribute appointment letters to 701 forest guards selected by the Uttar Pradesh Subordinate Services Selection Commission. Global warming is a challenge for the whole world, but it has not come from anywhere else, he said, adding that it is a result of following the path of unplanned and unscientific development that man is facing it as a problem. "Somewhere there is excessive rain, and somewhere there is a 'heat wave'. Somewhere life is destroyed by floods, and somewhere people are yearning for a drop of water," Adityanath said. Congratulating the selected candidates, Yogi s
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday said that war has endangered the future of 2.5 billion children of the world. Speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the 25th International Conference of Chief Justices of the World at the World Unity Convention Center of City Montessori School (CMS) here, Adityanath said war is not a solution to problems. "War has endangered the future of 2.5 billion children of the world," he said while discussing the address given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the United Nations' 'Summit of the Future'. Adityanath urged the world leaders to unite and build a clean, safe and fear-free society for the coming generations. Emphasizing the importance of the motto of 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam', he described it as a symbol of India's commitment to global humanity. Describing it as India's eternal message, he said that we have always given priority to peace, harmony and co-existence. According to an official statement issued here, 178 chief justi
BSP president Mayawati on Friday appealed to the government and the Supreme Court to take cognizance of the controversy regarding the Jama Masjid in Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal district. "The news of the sudden controversy, hearing and then the hasty survey regarding the Shahi Jama Masjid of Sambhal district of UP is in the national discussion and media headlines," the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president said in a post on 'X'. "But the government and the honourable Supreme Court must also take cognizance of spoiling the harmony and atmosphere in this way," the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said. A survey of the Jama Masjid was conducted earlier on Tuesday on the orders of a court in Sambhal district. It is claimed that this mosque has been built by demolishing a temple. Petitioner advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain had said on Tuesday that the court of Civil Judge (Senior Division) directed to constitute an 'Advocate Commission' for the survey of Jama Masjid. The court has said that
On Thursday, Sambhal town turned into a fortress with two of the three approach roads to the mosque, located at the centre of the town, being sealed