A delegation of Samajwadi Party was stopped by the UP Police from visiting Sambhal which saw violent clashes on November 25 over the court-ordered survey of Mughal-era Mosque. According to the media reports, the SP’s UP unit chief Shyam Lal Pal was also put under the house arrest. Further party leader Mata Prasad Pandey on Saturday morning said that the district magistrate (DM) of Sambhal asked him not to visit the district over a phone call amid the prevailing tensions in the area. Pandey demanded a written notice prohibiting his entry into the district as per the rules.
For the unversed, the violent clashes left at least four people dead, leading to FIR against 800 people and arrest of at least 29 individuals. Mata Prasad Pandey, Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly, said, “They (administration) should have given me a notice as per the rules that I cannot go there, but no written notice was given. They only talk on the telephone. They deployed the police. The Justice Commission is going there, media people are going there, will there be any unrest if we go there? This government is deliberately stopping us to hide all its work.” The senior SP leader further said that the Sambhal DM asked him not to come till December 10. Pandey said that he will decide after going to the party office.
“If I had to visit, I would have gone. But we sent the program. Sanjay Prasad (Secretary) told me to not visit (Sambhal), saying that the situation could change there. The Sambhal District Magistrate (DM) called me and asked me not to come there till December 10. I will go to the party office and decide what to do next,” Mata Prasad Pandey said.
In response to the remarks made by former Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, the senior SP leader said that they don’t provoke anyone. “We do not provoke anyone. The language that incites is used by Keshav Prasad Maurya ji. If the press can visit there, how will people get incited if I say the same thing? They should have given me a notice, but without any notice, they deployed police outside my residence. We will go to the party office and decide,” Prasad said.
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