LUCKNOW: The UP police have released pictures of more than 100 protesters allegedly involved in firing shots and pelting stones during the violent protests that broke out in the western UP town on Sunday following a court-ordered survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid.
While five people were killed in the unrest, several others, including around 20 police personnel, were injured in the clashes.
After releasing the pictures of the stone-pelters, Sambhal SP Krishna Kumar Vishnoi said no innocent individuals would be persecuted, but those identified through video footage from drone cameras and CCTV footage from the area on the day of the incident would face strict punitive action.
“Our cyber cell sleuths are working to identify those involved in the unrest. Posters with their photographs will be put up at main intersections. Local residents have also been urged to help the police in arresting those identified through various sources,” said the SP.
Meanwhile, three days after the violent clashes, the local police conducted a flag march on the streets of Sambhal. Schools were reopened, but the internet remained suspended on Wednesday as a precautionary measure.
However, many dwellings in the vicinity of the Jama Masjid area remained locked, as occupants had relocated to other parts of the town or to relatives' homes in nearby districts, sources added.
On the other hand, the families of those who lost their lives in the clashes registered FIRs at Sambhal Kotwali and Nakkhas police stations, accusing the police of opening fire on their sons.
“We have autopsy reports establishing that none of the deceased died from police firing,” SP Vishnoi said, adding that while the victim families had lodged FIRs, he had urged people to provide evidence of police firing.
Action would certainly be taken against the guilty if evidence is found.
A total of eight FIRs have been lodged against six named individuals and around 2,500 unidentified people. The police have also booked Ziaur Rahman Barq, the Samajwadi Party MP from Sambhal, and Sohel Iqbal, the son of Samajwadi Party MLA Nawab Iqbal Mohammed, for allegedly provoking the mob violence on Sunday.
