New Delhi: A Samajwadi Party delegation visited Sambhal on Monday and provided Rs 5 lakh compensation worth Rs five lakh each for the kin of the persons who lost their lives in the November 24 violence. The compensation was earlier declared by SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and the delegation members fulfilled his promise.
In November, Sambhal was rocked by violence after a local court ordered an archaeological survey to ascertain the religious character of the 500-year-old Shahi Jama Masjid there. The violence left five dead and 20 cops injured.
On Monday, Uttar Pradesh Assembly’s Leader of Opposition (LoP) Mata Prasad Pandey led the delegation to Sambhal. The other members in the delegation had Samajwadi Party lawmakers, including Iqra Hasan, local MLA Iqbal Mehmood, and Sambhal violence-accused MP Zia-ur-Rehman Barq among others.
Before going to Sambhal, Pandey said that he will be visiting the violence-affected Sambhal district, accompanied by a delegation from his party, to meet the families of victims who were killed after being shot by the police. “Our national president (Akhilesh Yadav) had announced that Rs 5 lakh each as compensation will be given to the families of those who were killed after being shot by the police. I am going to Sambhal to provide them with the compensation. The administration is not stopping me since I had already talked to the District Magistrate,” Pandey was quoted as saying by ANI.
On Sunday, Akhilesh Yadav had taken a swipe at Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath stating that ongoing excavation work in the state might uncover a Shivling, which could potentially be found at the Chief Minister’s residence.
Barq had sought for protection from arrest
Earlier in December, Barq, a delegation member visiting Sambhal, moved the Allahabad High Court for protection from arrest. In his plead, Barq had also urged the court to dismiss the FIR lodged against him, dubbing the charges against him as politically motivated.
The local police have levelled allegations against the Samajwadi Party MP stating that he visited the mosque days before the violence broke out and blamed him for sparking tensions with his inflammatory speeches.
Rubbishing the charges, Barq stated that he was in Bengaluru when the incident occurred and decided to remain in Delhi upon learning about the FIR filed against him in connection with the Sambhal violence.
In November, the Supreme Court directed the trial court to suspend further proceedings until the Shahi Jama Masjid committee delegation approaches the High Court to contest the decision to carry out a survey within the mosque premises. Additionally, the Supreme Court ordered that the survey report of the mosque be sealed in an envelope.
