Four die in clashes over Uttar Pradesh mosque claimed by Hindus
Violence between protesters and police during a survey of the Shahi Jama mosque, which some extremists claim was built in the 16th century on the ruins of a Hindu temple. The protests began with stone-throwing while residents claim that police shot and killed four men, all Muslims.
Sambhal (AsiaNews/Agencies) – At least four people were killed in clashes between protesters and police in Sambhal, a city in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The spark for the latest sectarian incident is linked to the origin of many Indian places of worship.
Violence broke out during an inspection by the authorities of Shahi Jama mosque, a building that dates to the 16th century and is protected for its historical and religious value under The Place of Worship Act, 1991.
Police report that a group of people gathered near the mosque pelting stones and shouting slogans at the team tasked with surveying the site on orders of a local court, pursuant to a petition that the mosque was built in 1526 on the remains of a Hindu temple.
After the clashes, protesters allege the police shot at protesters, killing four men, all Muslims, something the authorities deny.
Commissioner Aunjaneya Kumar Singh said that police were forced to use force. State authorities today suspended Internet services and closed schools for a day, while at least 16 people were arrested.
A second inspection of the mosque took place yesterday. A local court had ordered an initial survey last Tuesday with the collection of video and photographic evidence.
Officials in Uttar Pradesh, a state ruled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu ultranationalist party Bharatiya Janata Party, had conducted the survey on the same day as the court order, sparking protests among Muslim residents.
“We were not given any notice. Our reply was not sought. They carried it in a hurried manner. But there was no emergency or anything urgent,” said MP Zia Ur Rehman Barq, a member of the Samajwadi Party, who intervened to calm early tensions.
The dispute over the Shahi Jama Masjid is just the latest in a series of disputes involving Indian mosques.
In January this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Rama in Ayodhya, where tensions between Hindus and Muslims have continued since 1992, when a group of Hindu fanatics destroyed the Babri Mosque, which also dates back to the 16th century.
Hindu extremists justify their actions by claiming that during the Mughal Empire, Muslim rulers destroyed Hindu temples to build mosques in their place.
The plaintiffs who filed the petition with the court (Rishi Raj Giri and Hari Shanker Jain) are also involved in other cases of this kind, including in Varanasi and Mathura. The results of the survey will be presented in court on Friday.
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12/09/2022 18:34
15/04/2022 17:39
