Two weeks after four died in Sambhal, police say ‘fired warning shots’
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Twelve First Information Reports (FIRs) concerning the violence have been filed in various police stations in Sambhal town. (Express)Weeks after the survey of a mosque led to violence in western UP’s Sambhal, leaving four men dead with bullet injuries and mystery around who shot them, the district’s Superintendent of Police has told The Indian Express that police personnel had “fired warning shots in the air” to disperse the crowd.
On a video that purportedly shows a police personnel firing a weapon, SP Krishan Kumar Bishnoi said, “A police person can be seen firing in the air. We are investigating who fired two shots.”
This is a departure from what the police and the district administration said on November 25, a day after the violence. At the time, Bishnoi had said, “Police only used pellet guns. The autopsy report of the three dead says that they died because of gunshot wounds from a .315 bore firearm.”
Moradabad Divisional Commissioner Aunjaneya Kumar Singh had also denied claims by the parents of Naeem, one of the dead, that he was killed in police firing.
Referring to some police personnel suffering injuries, allegedly from bullet fragments, Singh had said, “Police cannot shoot at themselves… It was the responsibility of the family members to restrain their son if he was planning to throw stones… Three groups were firing at each other. We have evidence, but our priority right now is to restore peace.”
On Saturday, asked about the video purportedly showing a police personnel firing, Singh said, “The death of four people after sustaining bullet injuries is part of the investigation. How they were killed and who shot at them is part of our probe. Once we have the report, it will be clear.”
Bishnoi said that on the day of the Shahi Jama Masjid survey, the police were tasked with ensuring the safety and security of the mosque and the surveyors.
The action on November 24 took place after the district court allowed the Archaeological Survey of India to survey the mosque following a petition claiming it was originally a temple. The first round of the survey was conducted on November 19, the day the petition was filed and heard at the district court, but authorities said they could not complete it satisfactorily.
Divisional Commissioner Singh said authorities did not anticipate such a huge crowd during the second survey. “Keeping in mind that during the first round of the survey, only 50 men had gathered at the mosque site, we deployed the police force. We could not foresee violence of any kind. We had taken the committee members (of Shahi Jama Masjid) into confidence, and we believed that if things go out of hand, we could use dialogue,” Singh said.
On Friday (December 6), two weeks after the violence, roughly 500 people offered namaz at the mosque amidst heavy police deployment and under drone surveillance.
Those present included District Magistrate Rajendra Pensia, Additional District Magistrate Vandana Mishra, and Circle Officer Anuj Chaudhary.
Pensia said 34 people have been arrested in connection with the violence so far, and over 400 have been identified. Eleven FIRs have been registered, including four based on complaints by the families of the deceased.
“After the families demanded a probe, SIT teams were formed. Their findings will take three months,” said the Additional Superintendent of Police, Sambhal, Anukriti Sharma.
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