LUCKNOW: The three-member judicial panel set up to ascertain the reasons for violence in Sambhal, visited the strife-torn western UP district amid tight security arrangements on Sunday.
The members of the judicial commission headed by retired High Court judge Justice DK Arora, visited Shahi Jama Masjid and other areas that witnessed violence over a court-ordered survey of the Mughal-era mosque on November 24.
The other two members of the panel are retired IPS officer and former UP DGP Arvind Kumar Jain and retired IAS officer Amit Mohan Prasad.
The commission members, accompanied by Moradabad Divisional Commissioner Aunjaneya Kumar Singh, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Muniraj G, Sambhal District Magistrate Rajendra Pensiya and Superintendent of Police Krishan Kumar, did not respond to any media queries initially.
Later, speaking to reporters, Moradabad Divisional Commissioner Singh said, "Today the chairperson of the inquiry commission and one other member visited the site. Their primary purpose was to inspect the location. They visited the areas where the disturbance occurred, examined the site and the structure, and spoke to some of the people present there."
The team will visit again and a complete schedule for its visit will be announced, he said.
As per the Divisional Commissioner, the situation in Sambhal is gradually returning to normal and it is being closely monitored. Conditions are stabilising rapidly. "As of now, the district magistrate's orders remain in effect until December 10 and after that, there will be no restrictions on anyone. We are in the process of collecting evidence and have so far identified 400 individuals involved (in the violence)," he said.
"The team stayed for about 15 minutes and inspected the mosque," said Shahi Jama Masjid Imam Aftab Hussain Warsi.
Mosque secretary Masood Farooqui said, "The team did not ask us anything. They mentioned that they were only here to see the Jama Masjid and visited the site of the incident. They said they would take statements later."
Violence erupted in Sambhal on November 24 during a court-ordered survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid, killing four people and injuring many others.
The survey was linked to a petition claiming that a temple once stood at the site of the mosque.
The judicial commission has been entrusted with the task of examining whether the clashes were spontaneous or part of a well-planned criminal conspiracy, as well as the preparedness of police and administration to handle the situation.
It will also analyse the circumstances leading to the violence and recommend measures to prevent similar incidents from recurring in the future.
Meanwhile, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has submitted its response in a court -- which had allowed a survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid here -- seeking control and management of the Mughal-era mosque as it is a protected heritage structure.
Representing the ASI, lawyer Vishnu Sharma said the agency submitted its counter argument in the court on Friday, stating that it faced resistance from the mosque's management committee and locals in conducting surveys of the site.
He said the ASI also highlighted an incident from January 19, 2018, when an FIR was filed against the mosque's management committee for installing steel railings on the mosque's steps without proper authorisation.
The mosque, notified as an ASI-protected monument in 1920, is under the purview of the agency and as such, public access to the structure should be permitted, provided it adheres to ASI regulations, Sharma stressed.
It also raised concerns that unauthorised changes to the mosque's structure by the management committee were unlawful and should be restricted.
