Amid tight security, members of a judicial commission on Sunday visited the Shahi Jama Masjid here and other areas that witnessed violence over a court-ordered survey of the Mughal-era mosque.
Panel head retired Allahabad High Court judge Devendra Kumar Arora and retired IPS officer Arvind Kumar Jain were the two members of the three-member commission who visited the areas that witnessed violence on November 24.
The panel’s third member, ex-IAS officer Amit Mohan Prasad, was not present during Sunday’s visit.
The commission members did not respond to any media queries during the visit in the morning. They were accompanied by Moradabad Divisional Commissioner Aunjaneya Kumar Singh, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Muniraj G, Sambhal District Magistrate Rajendra Pensiya and Superintendent of Police Krishan Kumar.
Later, speaking to reporters, Moradabad Divisional Commissioner Singh said, “Today the chairperson of the inquiry commission and one other member visited the site. Their primary purpose was to inspect the location. They visited the areas where the disturbance occurred, examined the site and the structure, and spoke to some of the people present there.” The team will visit again and a complete schedule for its visit will be announced, he said.
“The situation here is gradually returning to normal and it is being closely monitored. Conditions are stabilising rapidly. As of now, the district magistrate’s orders remain in effect until December 10 and after that, there will be no restrictions on anyone. We are in the process of collecting evidence and have so far identified 400 individuals involved (in the violence),” he said.
Singh was referring to an order that prohibits the entry of outsiders, including politicians, social organisations or public representatives, in the violence-hit Sambhal till December 10 without permission from the competent authority in order to maintain law and order.
“The team stayed for about 15 minutes and inspected the mosque,” said Shahi Jama Masjid Imam Aftab Hussain Warsi.
Mosque secretary Masood Farooqui said, “The team did not ask us anything. They mentioned that they were only here to see the Jama Masjid and visited the site of the incident. They said they would take statements later.” Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party MLA from Sambhal Iqbal Mehmood met the families of the victims of the violence. His son Sohail Iqbal is one of the suspects in the case, according to police, who have also booked SP’s Sambhal MP Zia ur Rehman and more than 2,750 others, most of them unidentified.
“I came here to share their grief. May Allah grant these children a place in paradise. They have become martyrs and the entire Muslim community is always ready to sacrifice for the sake of the mosque. What has happened here is deeply unfortunate,” Mehmood told reporters.
Asked if he met the families of all the victims, he said he visited them to offer his condolences and listened to them.
“A delegation (of the SP) was supposed to come yesterday, but the district magistrate has imposed restrictions here until December 10. The delegation will visit after December 10 and it will go to the homes of all martyrs to express condolences,” Mehmood said.
“This delegation is being sent on behalf of the (SP) national president (Akhilesh Yadav). While we cannot bring back their loved ones, we will offer support as announced, including providing Rs 5 lakh each to the families of the deceased,” he said.
Violence erupted in Sambhal on November 24 during a court-ordered survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid, killing four people and injuring many others.
The survey was linked to a petition claiming that a temple once stood at the site of the mosque.
The judicial commission, formed via a notification dated November 28, has been directed to complete its probe within two months. Any extension of this timeline will require government approval.
The panel has been entrusted with the task of examining whether the clashes were spontaneous or part of a well-planned criminal conspiracy, as well as the preparedness of police and administration to handle the situation.
It will also analyse the circumstances leading to the violence and recommend measures to prevent similar incidents from recurring in the future.