On Tuesday (3rd December), the Yogi Adityanath government suspended jailer Vikram Yadav and his deputy Praveen Singh, a day after a group of Samajwadi Party leaders visited the Moradabad jail in Uttar Pradesh to meet with the accused who were charged with involvement in the Sambhal riots.
The two officers suspended have been identified as jailer Vikram Singh Yadav and his subordinate Praveen Singh from Moradabad prison. Director General (Prison Administration and Reform Services) PV Ramasastry stated that a report against jail superintendent PP Singh has been forwarded to the state government for action because he is a Group A officer. He added that the action against the said officers was taken after Deputy Inspector General (prisons) Kuntal Kishore conducted an investigation and concluded that the jail manual was flouted.
समाजवादी पार्टी, उत्तर प्रदेश
— Samajwadi Party (@samajwadiparty) December 2, 2024
19, विक्रमादित्य मार्ग, लखनऊ
प्रकाशन/प्रसारण हेतु- दिनांकः02.12.2024
समाजवादी पार्टी के राष्ट्रीय अध्यक्ष एवं पूर्व मुख्यमंत्री श्री अखिलेश यादव के निर्देश पर मुरादाबाद जिला कारागार में बंद संभल हिंसा के निर्दोष लोगों से समाजवादी पार्टी… pic.twitter.com/CDxlTHwq2J
On Monday, the SP delegation, which included former Parliament member ST Hasan, Nawab Jaan Khan, and Chaudhary Samarpal Singh, visited the Moradabad jail to meet with 27 accused for their role in the Sambhal riots. The Samajwadi Party leaders claimed that the accused were assaulted and that they would provide legal assistance to the accused rioters.
Moradabad, UP: SP MLA Nawab Jan Khan, former MP S.T. Hasan, and other leaders visited Moradabad District Jail to meet the accused in the Sambhal violence case pic.twitter.com/7pWk83hZ2I
— IANS (@ians_india) December 2, 2024
Subsequently, the CM Yogi Adityanath-led government demanded a report from Moradabad District Magistrate Anuj Singh on this matter. After the report was submitted, action was taken against the concerned officers. The investigation indicated that the Samajwadi Party delegation was permitted to meet with the jailed accused in violation of the Jail Manual, which requires visitors to provide slips. In his defence, PP Singh, Senior Superintendent of Moradabad Jail, stated that MPs and legislators are usually allowed to speak with inmates without slips, and “I only followed it.”
Court-ordered survey at Jama Masjid in Sambhal and violence that erupted on 24th November
On 19th November, a court-mandated survey was conducted at Jama Masjid in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh. The court ordered the survey in response to a petition filed by Supreme Court Advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, and seven co-plaintiffs, asserting that the mosque occupies the site of a temple dedicated to Bhagwan Kalki. The site in question is a protected monument under the Ancient Monuments Preservation Act of 1904. The survey was carried out under the supervision of the Advocate Commission. A heavy police force was deployed in the area to ensure the survey proceeded peacefully.
However, on 24th November, during the second round of court-mandated survey at Jama Masjid, Islamist mobsters gathered outside the mosque and engaged in violence. They pelted stones at police, opened fire at police personnel and set ablaze vehicles and shops. At least 20 police personnel were injured during violence and four mobsters were killed in the mayhem, likely from illegal guns carried by rioters.
In the aftermath of the Sambhal violence on 24th November, police have clarified that the deaths of three individuals occurred due to firing by rioters, not by the police. Post-mortem reports revealed that two victims were shot with country-made pistols, while the 315-bore bullet was found inside the body of another victim, a type not used by Uttar Pradesh Police. Sambhal SP Krishna Kumar Bishnoi stated that the police initially fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the mob but were fired upon by rioters.
During the survey, however, Muslims living in the area gathered outside the Jama Masjid and raised religious slogans. The District Magistrate of Sambhal confirmed that the survey was completed in around two hours and stated that a report would be submitted to the Civil Court, which will review it on the next date of hearing, 29th November 2024. OpIndia accessed the petition filed by the plaintiffs in the case.
As of now, the Supreme Court of India has stayed the hearing in the District Court, Sambhal, in response to plea filed by the Muslim side. Furthermore, the survey report submitted by the Advocate Commissioner has been ordered to be sealed and not to be opened till an order is passed by the High Court in the matter. Next hearing in the matter will be in January 2025. A judicial committee was formed by CM Yogi Adityanath to investigate the cause of the violence.
OpIndia’s detailed report on the petition filed at the court can be checked here.
