Hindu-Muslim Riots

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday claimed the violence in Sambhal in Uttar Pradesh was well-planned and aimed at disturbing communal harmony in a place that has long been a symbol of brotherhood. He also claimed that the court-ordered survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid could hurt the 'Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb' of the country. Raising the issue during the Zero Hour in the Lok Sabha, the MP from Kannauj said Sambhal is known for its brotherhood and this "well-planned" violence has impacted that harmony. "The incident that took place was a planned conspiracy. The BJP and its allies have been talking about digging and their repeated talks of digging (the area) will hurt the Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb of the country," Yadav said. He alleged the Sambhal administration acted in haste and demanded suspension of the officers concerned and filing of a case against them. "This government doesn't respect the Constitution," the SP leader charged. On November 19, a court of civil judge (senio

Police have erected barricades outside the Uttar Pradesh Congress committee office and the residences of several party leaders who were to accompany the unit's chief Ajay Rai on a fact-finding visit to violence-hit Sambhal, a party spokesperson said on Monday. Vikas Srivastava, the spokesperson, said the barricades were erected on Sunday night itself. The Congress had plans to visit Sambhal on Monday. Speaking to PTI, Rai said, "We had decided to visit Sambhal on December 2 as the government ban on the entry of public representatives was to be lifted by November 30. Now, they have suddenly extended the ban till December 10. The government clearly wants to hide its flaws." Rai spent the night at the Congress committee office along with several party workers. "If prevented, we would agitate peacefully in a Gandhian way as we are followers of Mahatma Gandhi," he said. Violence erupted in Sambhal on November 24 during a court-ordered survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid, killing four peopl

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has submitted its response in a court -- which had allowed a survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid here -- seeking control and management of the Mughal-era mosque as it is a protected heritage structure. Representing the ASI, lawyer Vishnu Sharma said the agency submitted its counterargument in the court on Friday, stating that it faced resistance from the mosque's management committee and locals in conducting surveys of the site. He said the ASI also highlighted an incident from January 19, 2018, when an FIR was filed against the mosque's management committee for installing steel railings on the mosque's steps without proper authorisation. The mosque, notified as an ASI-protected monument in 1920, is under the purview of the agency and as such, public access to the structure should be permitted, provided it adheres to ASI regulations, Sharma said. The ASI argued that control and management of the monument, including any structural modifications,

Two members of a three-member judicial commission formed by the Uttar Pradesh government to probe the November 24 violence in Sambhal reached Moradabad on Saturday, and are likely to visit the violence-hit town on Sunday, officials said. Moradabad Divisional Commissioner Aunjaneya Kumar Singh said, "Two members of the commission reached here on Saturday. The third member will join them on Sunday as they head to Sambhal." However, Singh did not identify the members who reached Moradabad on Saturday. Violence erupted in Sambhal on November 24 during a court-ordered survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid there, killing four persons and injuring many others. The survey was linked to a petition claiming that a Harihar temple once stood at the site of the mosque. The commission formed via a notification on November 28 has been directed to complete its probe within two months. Any extension of this timeline will require government approval. The commission headed by retired Allahabad High Court

Judicial Inquiry Commission to be headed by Justice Devendra Kumar Arora (Retired), Allahabad High Court and Retired IAS Amit Mohan Prasad and Retired IPS Arvind Kumar Jain

Security personnel were deployed in Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal for the third consecutive day on Wednesday after violence and ruckus ensued over an ASI survey

Meanwhile, in a joint press conference, Sambhal SP Krishna Kumar Bishnoi informed that a complaint has been filed against as many as 800 people after the violence

Police have lodged seven FIRs in connection with the violence over a court-ordered survey of a Mughal-era mosque here, naming Samajwadi Party MP Zia-ur-Rehman Barq and local SP MLA Iqbal Mehmood's son Sohail Iqbal as accused, officials said on Monday. The district administration has already imposed prohibitory orders and barred the entry of outsiders into Sambhal till November 30. Three people were killed and scores of others, including security personnel and administration officials, injured on Sunday as protesters opposing the survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid clashed with police. A fourth injured person died on Monday. Addressing a press conference, Superintendent of Police Krishan Kumar said seven FIRs have been lodged in connection with the violence. Six people, including Barq and Iqbal, were named and 2,750 others have been mentioned as unidentified, he said. "Due to Barq's statement earlier, the situation became worse here," he added. The officer said 25 people have been arre

A day after violence rocked Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Monday said the BJP's use of power to create a rift between Hindus and Muslims was neither in the interest of the state nor the country. He also urged the Supreme Court to intervene in the matter as soon as possible. Three people were killed and scores of others, including security and administration personnel, injured on Sunday as protesters opposing a court-ordered survey of a Mughal-era mosque in Sambhal clashed with police. A fourth injured person died on Monday. In a post in Hindi on X, Gandhi said, "The biased and hasty attitude of the state government on the recent dispute in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, is extremely unfortunate. I express my deepest condolences to those who have lost their loved ones in the violence and firing." The administration, without listening to all the parties, insensitively took action that vitiated the atmosphere further and led to the deaths of .

The Delhi Police has told a court here that NewsClick founder and editor-in-chief Prabir Purkayastha infused funds from China into India to stoke and sustain the 2020 Delhi riots, carry out disinformation campaign on Covid-19, stoke the farmer's protest and indulge in outright terror funding in Kashmir. Police made the allegations in its charge sheet filed before Additional Sessions Judge Hardeep Kaur, who took cognisance of it on Tuesday. The charge sheet alleged that Purkayastha used to give salaries to many employees of activist Teesta Setalvad. It said the role of another activist Gautam Navlakha's role in the present case was under probe. The final report alleged that Navlakha has been a shareholder of the NewsClick and his role has also emerged in the testimonies of the protected witnesses as being one of the conduits for the finance and supplies of arms and ammunition for a banned Naxal outfit. The charge sheet cited the statement made by NewsClick human resource (HR) head a

Now the UK Has to Wrestle With India's Demons, Too

A Delhi court directed the jail authorities to provide proper medical treatment to Khalid Saifi along with medication and tests

The Delhi Police has provided security to suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma and her family after an FIR was registered on a complaint that she was getting death threats

The bench asked the advocate to give a written submission on the matter and directed the government to see to it that interim orders are not violated

In her resignation letter Chandini has said that she is resigning as she was asked to remove her hijab which she has been wearing for three years in the college

No other religious symbol is considered in the Government Order, why only hijab? Discrimination against Muslim girls is purely based on their religion said senior advocate Ravivarma Kumar

The girls made the plea to the full bench of the High Court comprising Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi, Justice J M Khazi and Justice Krishna M Dixit

MLA Raghupathi Bhat on Sunday held a meeting with parents of school students and various political leaders at the Taluq office in Udupi, amid the ongoing hijab controversy in the state

A Delhi Assembly committee asked Facebook India to furnish records of users' reports (complaints) on the content posted on the platform one month prior and two months after the Delhi riots

In 2020, 71,107 cases of offences against public tranquility were registered under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and rioting accounted for 72.6 per cent of these cases