LUCKNOW: While life is gradually returning to normal in the western Uttar Pradesh district of Sambhal, which witnessed massive violent protests on Sunday, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed in the Allahabad High Court on Thursday seeking a CBI probe into the causes of the violence on November 24.
The PIL also requests that the premier investigating agency, under the court’s direction, ascertain the role and involvement of all those who led the protests in Sambhal, which resulted in the deaths of five people and left scores injured, including over 20 police personnel.
The PIL, filed by Anand Prakash Tiwari through his lawyers Imran Ullah and Vineet Sankalp, urges the court to order a CBI probe and direct the agency to submit its report within a specific timeframe.
The petitioner has further requested that the court appoint a committee of officers from the central investigating agency, operating beyond the jurisdiction of the Uttar Pradesh government, to examine the role of the state government and its administrative officers in the incident near Jama Masjid, Chandausi, in Sambhal district.
The related report should also be submitted within a court-mandated timeframe.
Additionally, the PIL calls for a Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by a retired High Court judge, to investigate the role of the Moradabad Divisional Commissioner, Sambhal District Magistrate (DM), and Sambhal Superintendent of Police (SP)
It seeks to include other officers under the ambit of the investigation for their alleged actions in managing the unrest and violence near Jama Masjid on November 24.
The PIL raises concerns about possible administrative negligence and the alleged controversial role of local authorities in the protests.
It also suggests that guidelines be framed regarding the responsibilities of district authorities during future court-ordered surveys of religious monuments or sites.
Notably, the protests in Sambhal turned violent on November 24 after a team led by a court-appointed advocate commissioner conducted a survey of the Mughal-era Jama Masjid, as ordered by a local court. The court-mandated survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal's Kot Garvi area stemmed from a petition claiming that a Harihar temple once stood at the mosque’s location, sparking a confrontation.
The PIL is yet to be scheduled for hearing.
