The Uttar Pradesh police on Wednesday released images of individuals allegedly involved in the mob that clashed with police in Sambhal on November 24. The police shared CCTV footage snapshots and appealed to the public for help in identifying the suspected rioters.
The police have arrested 27 individuals so far in connection with the violence that left four dead and many injured. Of these, 25 have been remanded to jail and three detained minors have been sent to juvenile homes.
On Sunday, a large crowd of about 800 people gathered in Sambhal to oppose a court-ordered survey of a 16th-century mosque. A petitioner claimed that the mosque was built after demolishing a temple.
Multiple FIRs have been registered in the case and one of the FIR names Zia-ur-Rehman Barq, the Samajwadi Party MP from Sambhal as the key accused. Sohail Iqbal, son of the party’s local MLA Iqbal Mehmood, is another accused named in the same FIR. The cases have also been filed against over 2,750 unidentified suspects.
