SAMBHAL: Tension prevailed in the Mohalla Kot Garvi area of Sambhal on Friday after three persons from Delhi were detained for allegedly attempting to perform a havan and puja at the Shahi Jama Masjid, a site currently under litigation.
According to police sources, the district administration had already deployed tight security around the mosque in view of Friday prayers.
Superintendent of Police Krishna Kumar Bishnoi confirmed that the three individuals, Sanatan Singh, Veer Singh Yadav and Anil Singh, had arrived at the disputed site by car and were taken into custody.
“All the three have been sent to the police station, and action will be taken against them for disturbing public order. They will also be warned against entering Sambhal in the future,” said Bishnoi.
The three detainees claimed that they had come to the site to perform religious rituals at the Vishnu Harihar temple, which they believe lies beneath the mosque. “If namaz can be offered there, why can’t we perform puja?” asked Sanatan Singh.
The incident escalated tensions in the locality, already sensitive due to the ongoing legal dispute over the mosque. The Shahi Jama Masjid is currently the subject of a court petition filed by Hindu plaintiffs, who claim it was built upon a pre-existing Vishnu Harihar temple.
Earlier, the Sambhal local court had ordered a survey of the mosque by a court commissioner to determine the presence of temple ruins at the site.
During the court-mandated survey on 24 November last year, members of the Muslim community objected to the move, leading to stone pelting on police personnel and the survey team.
The violence that ensued claimed five lives and left several others, including police officials, injured.
Authorities reiterated that any attempts to disrupt communal harmony would be dealt with firmly.