Congress leader Pawan Khera on Sunday strongly condemned the violence in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal district, calling it a “well-planned conspiracy.” The clashes, which occurred during a mosque survey on Sunday morning, led to three deaths and left nearly two dozen people, including police officers and senior officials, injured.

Also Read: 3 killed as violent protests erupt over mosque survey in UP’s Sambhal; mob torches vehicles, pelt stones

In a statement, Khera, Chairman, Media & Publicity (Communications Dept), AICC, said, “No citizen in Uttar Pradesh is “SAFE” under CM Adityanath, who gave the reprehensible slogan of “Batenge toh Katenge”. This is evident by the highly deplorable incidents of Sambhal today. The videos of direct firing on protesters in Sambhal depict the horrifying result of a well-planned conspiracy by CM Adityanath and the BJP-RSS. Western Uttar Pradesh, which has been a symbol of goodwill and harmony for years, has today witnessed three people killed and many injured under a well-planned conspiracy.”

3 killed, 20 detained

Three people were killed and scores of others, including around 20 security personnel and four personnel of the administration, were injured as protesters opposing a court-ordered survey of a Mughal-era mosque here clashed with police on Sunday, PTI reported.

The protesters torched vehicles and pelted stones at the police, who used tear gas and batons to disperse the mob.

“The miscreants fired shots… the PRO of the superintendent of police suffered a gunshot to the leg, the police circle officer was hit by pellets and 15 to 20 security personnel were injured in the violence,” Moradabad Divisional Commissioner Aunjaneya Kumar Singh said, as reported by PTI.

Those responsible for the violence will be charged under the National Security Act (NSA), said officials. As a precaution, internet services across the district have been suspended for a day, officials told ANI.

Internet services have been suspended in Sambhal tehsil for 24 hours, and the district administration has declared November 25 a holiday for all students up to Class 12.

Social media images depicted protesters throwing stones at police from rooftops and near the Shahi Jama Masjid. Later, police were seen allegedly cornering and assaulting individuals as they attempted to disperse a large crowd in a narrow alley.

Other visuals showed a street littered with slippers, bricks, and stones. In one video, police in riot gear were seen firing shots towards a lane, with flames and smoke rising in the background. Another clip showed Superintendent of Police (SP) Krishan Kumar urging stone-throwers to stop the violence.

Legal battle

Supreme Court lawyer Vishnu Shankar Jain, who is a petitioner in the case, stated that the Court of Civil Judge (Senior Division) had ordered the formation of an “Advocate Commission” to conduct a survey of the mosque. The court instructed that a report be filed after carrying out videography and photography during the survey.

On Sunday, Jain appealed to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to take control of the “temple.”

Gopal Sharma, a local lawyer representing the Hindu side, claimed that a temple that once stood at the site was demolished by Mughal Emperor Babur in 1529.

(With inputs from agencies)