Sambhal: The prime accused in the 2024 Sambhal violence case has been traced abroad, and efforts are underway to extradite him to India with the assistance of intelligence agencies and Interpol, police said on Thursday.
Sharik Sata, along with his associates, had allegedly planned the violence in Sambhal on November 24 last year, the same day the second survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid was conducted. The violence left four people dead and injured 29 policemen, Superintendent of Police Krishna Kumar Bishnoi told reporters.
“The prime accused, Sharik Sata, is currently abroad. Police are making all possible efforts to locate him. His past contacts in India are being traced, and intelligence agencies have been involved. Once his location is confirmed, he will be brought back to India through Interpol channels,” SP Bishnoi said, without specifying the country.
Authorities are scanning call records of Sata’s associates to determine the country in which he is hiding.
Meanwhile, another accused, Mulla Afroz, an aide of Sharik currently lodged in Moradabad jail, has been booked under the National Security Act (NSA), Bishnoi added.
The NSA allows the Centre and state governments to detain individuals to prevent actions considered “prejudicial to the defence of India.” The maximum detention period under the Act is 12 months, though it can be revoked earlier. Unlike an arrest, preventive detention under the NSA does not require the detainee to be presented before a court, though it must be ratified by a board headed by a former high court judge.
Bishnoi noted that Afroz faces 11 criminal cases and has a history of serious crimes, including loot and murder. He was also involved in a 2014 incident of firing outside the residence of current Samajwadi Party MLA Iqbal Mehmood. Other accused involved in planning and inciting the violence are also likely to face action under the NSA, he added.
The Sambhal dispute dates back to November 19, 2024, when Hindu petitioners, including advocates Hari Shankar Jain and Vishnu Shankar Jain, filed a suit in the Sambhal district court claiming that the Shahi Jama Masjid was built over a temple. A court-ordered survey was conducted on November 19, followed by another on November 24, the day the violence broke out.
With PTI inputs