“Well-planned conspiracy…”: Akhilesh Yadav Accuses BJP of Instigating Sambhal Violence to Disrupt “Brotherhood of the Country

Samajwadi Party MP, Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday addressed the Sambhal violence in Parliament, calling it a "well-planned conspiracy." He alleged that the incident was part of BJP’s “broader agenda” aimed at disrupting the nation's unity.

"The incident that took place in Sambhal is a well-planned conspiracy, and the brotherhood in Sambhal has been destroyed. The talks of excavation throughout the country done by BJP and its allies will destroy the brotherhood of the country," said the Samajwadi Party Chief in the Lok Sabha.

Yadav also accused the Sambhal administration of showing bias, alleging that the officers were acting as if they were members of the BJP. "The officers out there are working arbitrarily - such that they are working as workers of the BJP. The Sambhal incident is a well-thought strategy of the BJP to divert people's attention from other issues," he said. He further warned that the continued focus on excavations and controversial issues could eventually harm the nation’s unity. "Those who want to dig everywhere - someday they will lose the cordiality and brotherhood of the country," he added.

Samajwadi Party Rajya Sabha MP Ram Gopal Yadav also spoke on the Sambhal incident, stating that the victims had died in police firing. He provided a detailed account of the events, explaining that the mob believed the mosque was being vandalized during the survey. "On 24th December, at 6 am, police were deployed in the entire Sambhal. The people of Sambhal did not even know why the police were being deployed. After some time, the DM, SSP, lawyer, and some people went with the police playing drums and entered the mosque. The crowd suspected that they were going to vandalize the mosque. SDM opened the water tank and when water started flowing out, people suspected that something was going wrong in it, and then there was unrest," Yadav said.

"The police opened fire, five people were killed, 20 people were injured, cases were filed against hundreds of people, and many are in jail. Those who were caught were beaten badly," Yadav added. He also linked the violence to previous elections in Uttar Pradesh, claiming that the police in neighboring districts had manipulated the electoral process. "I and many other people believe that in the elections that were held earlier in Uttar Pradesh, the police in the neighboring districts did not allow anyone to cast their vote and forcibly took over the elections," he added.

The violence in Sambhal occurred on November 24 when a mob clashed with a team of officials conducting a court-ordered survey of Shahi Jama Masjid, a Mughal-era mosque. The clashes resulted in at least 4 deaths and several others were injured. The survey was ordered after a petition claimed that the mosque was built on the remains of an ancient Harihar temple. In response to the violence, the Sambhal district administration imposed prohibitory orders in the area to maintain order. In addition, the Supreme Court intervened, instructing the Sambhal trial court to suspend all proceedings related to the Shahi Jama Masjid case, including the survey report. The court also ordered that the report, prepared by the advocate commissioner, be kept in a sealed cover until the Allahabad High Court hears the mosque committee's appeal.​