Opposition leaders blame BJP, its 'politics of hatred' for Sambhal violence

Opposition parties in Uttar Pradesh blamed the BJP for the violence in Sambhal, alleging the survey team was sent to the mosque by the party to nurture its "politics of hatred".

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav lashed out at the BJP, saying its government and the administration orchestrated the violence "to divert attention from electoral malpractice".

"A survey team was deliberately sent in the morning to disrupt discussions about the election. The intention was to create chaos so that no debate on election issues could happen," he said at a press conference in Lucknow.

UP Congress chief Ajay Rai said the incidents of violence were increasing day by day in the state under the Yogi Adityanath government.

"When the Chief Minister of the state himself gives statements like 'batenge toh katenge,' then how can there be an atmosphere of peace in the state? This is a completely planned incident," Rai in a statement said.

The UP unit of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) called the Sambhal violence a planned conspiracy. Its secretary Heeralal Yadav questioned the hurry behind the survey of the mosque in contention.

He accused the BJP of fomenting unrest in the state "in the name of temple and mosque" and appealed to the public to maintain peace.

The CPI (Marxist-Leninist) also attacked the BJP, blaming it for the Sunday violence in which three people were killed.

Sudhakar Yadav, the party's state secretary, said BJP, emboldened by its recent wins, was fuelling polarisation of communities and wanted to throw the state into the fire of communalism.

Tearing the fabric of peace, and polarising communities was all in a good day's work for the "saffron brigade," he alleged.

The BJP, in turn, alleged that the INDIA alliance had been trying to create unrest since the Lok Sabha polls. It said that those who do not agree with judicial orders should take legal recourse.

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

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

"Shots were fired by the miscreants ... 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.

He said that a constable also suffered a serious head injury, while the deputy collector fractured his leg.

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

Images, purported to be from the spot shared on social media, showed mobs pelting stones at cops from atop buildings and in front of the Shahi Jama Masjid.

Later, police were purportedly seen cornering and hitting people as they tried to disperse a large crowd in a narrow alleyway.

A lane was shown in a video strewn with a scores of slippers, bricks, and stones.

In another purported clip, some policemen in riot gear were seen firing gunshots in a street, while flames leapt and smoke billowed into the air in the background. Superintendent of Police Krishan Kumar urged stone-pelters not to indulge in violence.

"Do not spoil your future for these politicians," he is heard saying through his megaphone in one of the videos.

Tension had been brewing in Sambhal since Tuesday when the Jama Masjid was surveyed on the orders of a local court following a petition that claimed that a Harihar temple stood at the site.

(With inputs from PTI)