Sambhal mosque violence: Fact-finding report highlights official missteps

A fact-finding committee has accused the Sambhal administration of orchestrating an "engineered crisis" surrounding the November 24 survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid in Uttar Pradesh—an event that escalated into violent clashes, left five men dead, dozens injured, and led to mass arrests.

Titled “Sambhal: Anatomy of an Engineered Crisis – Myth, Violence, and the Weaponization of Faith in a Muslim-majority city”, the report states that the survey was ordered ex parte after a petition by legal and Hindu temple representatives, without consulting the mosque committee.

Shortly after the survey began, an official slurry pumped out the mosque’s ablution tank, triggering resentment among worshippers and sparking clashes.

According to the committee—comprising researcher Prakriti, Advocate Ahmad Ibrahim, and activist Harsh Mandar—the survey was completed within hours, violating standard protocols and ignoring peace overtures. Protesters alleged that the tank’s drainage symbolised a violation of religious sanctity.

When local residents reportedly reacted by pelting stones, police fired tear gas, used lathis, and opened fire. The report highlights eyewitness accounts contradicting official claims of initial violence by protesters. Security personnel arrested over 85 people in the aftermath.

In subsequent weeks, the report notes, police conducted house-to-house raids in Muslim neighbourhoods, filed questionable FIRs, and targeted community and political leaders.

In mid-December, the administration launched an anti-encroachment drive in areas affected by the clash—actions the report claims disproportionately affected Muslim residents.

District Magistrate Dr Rajender Pensiya challenged the report’s authenticity, calling it a “farce," as reported by The Indian Express. He claimed violence had begun with stone-pelting at officials and denied any ill-intention behind the drainage, noting that any soil from digging would have been placed outside the mosque.

Police have since filed a chargesheet including the MP from the Samajwadi Party and 22 others. Investigators reportedly concluded that the mosque committee president had no role in instigating violence.