Sambhal violence: PIL in Allahabad High Court seeks judicial probe into role of police, DM

A plea has been filed in the Allahabad High Court seeking a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into the communal violence that erupted in Sambhal district following a court-ordered survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid..The plea filed by one Dr Anand Prakash Tiwari calls for the formation of SIT headed by a retired High Court judge to investigate the roles and actions of various officials, including the Commissioner of Police, the Superintendent of Police (SP), the District Magistrate (DM) and the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM), among others..The petitioner has also prayed for the formation of a committee comprising officers from central investigative agencies, independent of the Uttar Pradesh government's jurisdiction, to examine the role and omissions of State officers in the incident and submit a report within a specific timeline.The plea also urges the Court to frame guidelines outlining the roles and responsibilities of district authorities while assisting in surveys of religious monuments/sites in the future as directed by courts.The present PIL is filed through Advocates Imran Ullah and Vineet Vikram..On November 19, a civil court in Sambhal directed an advocate commissioner to conduct a survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal.The direction was issued in response to a plea filed by Advocate Hari Shankar Jain and seven others, who had claimed that the Mosque was constructed over a demolished temple during the Mughal era.Civil judge (senior division) Aditya Singh has appointed Ramesh Raghav as the advocate commissioner to conduct a survey and submit a report by November 29..Four people were reportedly killed amid stone-pelting and vehicle-torching incidents that followed the order. Violence erupted between protestors and police personnel on November 24 after a team of surveyors arrived in Chandausi town to conduct a second survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid, after the initial survey had been conducted on November 19.An autopsy had ruled out police firing as the cause of the deaths..Follow Bar and Bench channel on WhatsAppDownload the Bar and Bench Mobile app for instant access to the latest legal news.