An investigation report by the Samajwadi Party has alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party and the local police conspired behind Sambhal violence.
The deadly violence in Sambhal in western UP resulted in the death of five Muslim youths as clashes broke out between locals and UP police.
The report states that the police used illegal weapons and fired at the protesters leading to the death of innocence and further alleged that the violence was pre-planned to target Muslims.
Accusing the party of disrupting communal harmony and exploiting sensitive issues during a press conference in Lucknow, SP Akhilesh Yadav sitting alongside other senior leaders, stated, “It was all planned by the BJP and its supporters. The police targeted innocent youths with their illegal weapons.”
The fact-finding report also includes details about the provocative slogans raised while the survey in the mosque was being conducted and how the situation was manipulated eventually leading to violence.
Senior party leader and leader of opposition in the assembly, Mata Prasad Pandey who headed the investigation team of eighteen members said, “Not just the use of excessive force, the police also made use of illegal weapons including pistols and targeted several innocent people and arrested them under bogus charges.”
“The police then tortured and forced innocent people to give statements to protect the real culprits behind all of this,” he further alleged.
Pandey noted that the Places of Worship Act 1991 is an existing act and there was no need to do immediate surveys. He also accused Yogi Adityanath government of having intentions of disturbing peace in the state and trying to silence “dissents” and “minority voices.”
Criticizing the State Government for preventing the party’s delegation from visiting victims of Sambhal violence, Akhilesh questioned, “Why was our team stopped from going to Sambhal? What is the government trying to hide?”
Pandey and the leader of opposition in the UP council, Lal Bihari Yadav visited Sambhal and met with the families of victims of violence. Several locals recalled their horrifying experience of being falsely accused of inciting violence by the police.
Calling out the government’s failures, he said that the BJP government runs on two wheels that are “corruption and injustice.” In order to divert everyone’s attention from their failures, they incite violence by targeting specific communities.”
Yadav concluded by saying “We will not let BJP’s communal politics succeed. Justice will prevail and the truth will come out.”
