LUCKNOW: Samajwadi leader and Member of Parliament from Sambhal Zia-ur-Rehman Barq has moved the Allahabad High Court seeking protection from arrest. This is in connection with the case registered against him for violence that rocked Sambhal on November 24 during a court-ordered survey of Shahi Jama Masjid.
Notably, the violence had resulted in the loss of five lives and many cops injured.
Along with the plea seeking protection from arrest, the SP MP has also demanded the quashing of the FIR registered against him in connection with the violence.
In the Sambhal violence case, the police had registered a case against Barq alleging that his provocative speech was the reason for the violence during the survey at Shahi Jama Masjid.
In his petition, Barq argued that the charges against him were politically motivated.
While denying his role in the violence, the SP MP has accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of being "vengeful" against him aiming to harass and intimidate him through false accusations.
Aside from Barq, the UP police has also named Sohail Iqbal, son of local MLA Iqbal Mehmood in the FIR.
While police charged Barq with making provocative remarks during his visit to the Shahi Jama Masjid just a couple of days before the violence. Denying this claim Barq stated that he was in Bengaluru at the time of the incident and survey.
He said that he intended to return to Sambhal to pacify the community members but chose to stay in Delhi after learning about the FIR against him. However, Barq claimed he attempted to contact people over the phone.
On November 19, a civil court in Sambhal had directed an advocate commissioner to conduct a survey of Shahi Jama Masjid in response to a petition filed by advocate Hari Shankar Jain and seven others claiming the mosque to be erstwhile Harihar temple which was demolished to build the mosque during the Mughal era.
The violence on November 24 witnessed massive stone pelting by the mob protesting against the survey in the mosque.
While four persons were reportedly killed amid stone-pelting, vandalism and arson, the fifth person died in the hospital during the treatment.
Violence had erupted between protestors and police personnel following the arrival of a team of surveyors in Chandausi town to conduct a second survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid, after the initial survey on November 19.
Notably, a plea is pending in the High Court seeking the registration of an FIR against police officials and the district magistrate (DM) concerning the death of four individuals in the communal violence.
Last month, the Supreme Court had paused proceedings in the trial court in Sambhal in the mosque survey case till the masjid committee approached the High Court. The top court also directed that the mosque survey report to be kept in a sealed cover and not to be opened in the meantime.