Sambhal violence that killed four people in November 2024 was the result of a pre planned conspiracy, a judicial commission has concluded. The report was tabled in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly this week, more than a year after the clashes broke out near the Shahi Jama Masjid during a court ordered survey. It names specific local leaders and alleges the unrest was organised to block the survey and protect political control over the mosque.
What does the report say about the Sambhal violence?
The three member commission, headed by retired Justice Devendra Kumar Arora, was set up by the Uttar Pradesh government days after the violence to determine whether it was planned or spontaneous. Its findings point clearly to the former.
“From the testimonies of the witnesses, it is clear that the incident of November 24, 2024, was the result of a conspiracy,” the report states, according to excerpts carried by Asianet Newsable. It names Sambhal MP Zia ur Rehman Barq, Jama Masjid president Zafar Ali, its secretary Mashood Ali Farooqui, and Suhail Iqbal, son of a local MLA, as having conspired to oppose the survey “in order to establish dominance driven by their political ambitions.“
What happened in Sambhal?
The violence broke out on November 24, 2024, during the second phase of a court ordered survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid, an ASI protected mosque in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh. The survey followed a civil suit filed by advocates Harishankar Jain and Vishnu Shankar Jain, claiming the mosque stood on the site of an ancient Harihar temple.
Here are the key facts about the case…
| Detail | Information |
| Date of violence | November 24, 2024 |
| Location | Shahi Jama Masjid, Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh |
| Deaths reported | Four |
| Police personnel injured | 28 |
| Commission head | Justice (Retd.) Devendra Kumar Arora |
| Report tabled | August 2026, Uttar Pradesh Assembly |
How did the Sambhal violence reportedly unfold?
According to the commission, preparations to escalate tensions began as early as November 19, 2024, right after an earlier, incomplete survey. The report alleges that misinformation was spread among the local Muslim community, falsely suggesting the survey was a pretext to demolish or take over the mosque.
“The accused spread misinformation among the Muslim community that the survey was being used as a pretext to occupy or demolish the mosque,” the report notes, as reported by The Statesman.
On the morning of November 24, the report says a large crowd gathered near the mosque, many with their faces covered. This was followed by stone throwing, arson and firing. The commission also credited police and civil administration for containing the violence and preventing it from spreading into a wider communal conflict across the state.
Political reaction to the report…
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath addressed the report while speaking in Pratapgarh. “The judicial commission submitted its report on the Sambhal incident on Thursday, revealing parts of how a conspiracy for riot unfolded in 2024,” Adityanath said, as reported by Deccan Herald.
Court Commissioner Ramesh Raghav, who had overseen the original mosque survey, separately alleged that the mob’s real target was the survey team itself, aiming to stop the court ordered exercise from being completed.
Advocate Gopal Sharma, representing the Hindu side in the mosque temple dispute, said the report deserved a detailed debate in the Assembly. The Jama Masjid Intazamia Committee’s president, Zafar Ali, who has been named in the report, declined to comment when asked by reporters.
What is happening now?
Police had earlier registered cases against Barq, Ali and thousands of unidentified individuals in connection with the violence. With the judicial commission’s findings now tabled in the Assembly, the report is expected to feature in ongoing legal proceedings tied to both the criminal cases and the underlying mosque temple dispute.
The Sambhal case remains one of the more closely watched instances of communal tension linked to a court ordered religious site survey in recent years, and the commission’s conclusions are likely to influence how similar disputes are handled going forward.