The death toll in the Sambhal violence rose to 4 on Monday morning. The district administration has imposed prohibitory orders and barred the entry of outsiders till November 30.
The violence took place on Sunday during a court-ordered survey of a mosque. The court recently ordered the survey responding to a plea that claimed the mosque had been built on the ruins of a Hindu temple. Gopal Sharma, a local lawyer for the Hindu side, had claimed the temple was demolished by Mughal emperor Babur in 1529.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi attacked the BJP today, saying the party was responsible for vitiating the situation.
“The biased and hasty attitude of the state government on the recent dispute in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh is extremely unfortunate. My deepest condolences to those who lost their loved ones in the violence and firing. The administration’s insensitive action without listening to all parties further vitiated the situation and resulted in the death of many people – for which the BJP government is directly responsible,” he wrote on X.
“BJP’s use of power to create rift and discrimination between Hindu-Muslim communities is neither in the interest of the state nor the country. I request the Supreme Court to intervene in this matter as soon as possible and provide justice,” he said.