Sambhal district administration imposes ban on outsiders until Dec 10

The Sambhal district administration has imposed a restriction prohibiting the entry of outsiders until December 10 in an effort to maintain peace and order. District Magistrate Rajendra Pensiya announced on Saturday that no outsider, social organization, or public representative would be allowed to enter the district without the consent of the competent authority during this period.

This move is significant as it came on the same day a 15-member delegation from the Samajwadi Party (SP), led by Leader of Opposition in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly, Mata Prasad Pandey, was scheduled to visit Sambhal. The delegation aimed to gather information on the violence that erupted following a survey conducted at the Shahi Jama Masjid complex.

Pandey revealed to reporters outside his Lucknow residence that Home Secretary Sanjay Prasad had called him, urging him not to visit Sambhal. Pandey also mentioned that the District Magistrate had informed him about the extension of the entry ban until December 10. He added, “The government perhaps wanted to prevent me to hide its wrongs in Sambhal as our visit would have exposed its several mistakes.”

Heavy security had been stationed outside Pandey’s residence since Friday night.

Earlier, SP state president Shyam Lal Pal announced that the party delegation, instructed by party chief Akhilesh Yadav, would visit Sambhal on Saturday to report on the violence that occurred on November 24. The delegation was expected to submit its findings to Yadav following the visit.

A note shared on ‘X’ detailed the delegation's composition, including Pandey, Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council Lal Bihari Yadav, SP state president Shyam Lal Pal, MPs Ziaur Rahman Barq, Harendra Malik, Ruchi Veera, Iqra Hasan, and Neeraj Maurya. Notably, Barq had been booked for “provocative acts” related to the November 24 violence.

Also part of the team were MLAs Kamal Akhtar, Ravidas Mehrotra, Nawab Iqbal Mahmood, and Pinky Singh Yadav.

The proposed visit had initially been postponed when the Director General of Police assured a fair investigation into the incident. Pandey stated in a press conference on Tuesday, “We were told that our people are being framed, even FIRs have been lodged against those who were not present there.” He said the DGP had promised a fair probe and advised them to visit Sambhal after three days.

In the wake of the violence, Congress state president Ajay Rai mentioned that a party delegation would be visiting Sambhal on December 2.

The violence in Sambhal dates back to November 19, when a local court ordered a survey of the city’s Jama Masjid. The petitioner claimed that the mosque was built over a site of the old Harihar temple. Tensions escalated on November 24, when protests near the mosque turned violent, resulting in clashes with security forces, stone-pelting, and arson. The violence left four people dead and several others, including police personnel, injured. Authorities denied claims that police had fired on protesters.

Following the violence, the Sambhal district administration imposed prohibitory orders to prevent further unrest.