Sambhal in Uttar Pradesh has recently been in the news following the unrest during a court-ordered Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid. The violence against authorities led to casualties, injuries and destruction of property. Notably, there have been anti-Hindu riots in the region on various occasions, including in 1976, 1978, 1986. Likewise, there have been frequent reports of Hindu migration from there as well.
Yogi Adityanath, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, recently addressed the state assembly and highlighted the same issues. The violence of 1986 which was largely forgotten, has been grabbing attention again as stories emerge. Due to politicial reasons, many victims still await justice. A son has applied to the Judicial Investigation Commission regarding the murder case of his father, who was killed while being locked inside a store. He stated that his family used to deal in wholesale sugar and the shopkeeper who murdered his father was their retail customer.
“He took my father inside the store and, with the assistance of his staff, assassinated him when the rumors began to circulate following the deaths of two Muslims,” the son shared. Rashtra Bandhu Rastogi, who lives in the Sambhal Kotwali neighborhood of Kot Purvi, submitted the petition to the Judicial Inquiry Commission on 21st January at the PWD Guest House. He informed that the 1986 violence claimed the life of his late father, Bhagwat Sharan.
He expressed, “I revealed everything about the incident. The intersection of Chaman Sarai and the hospital was marked with a flag. There was a rumour at the time that two Muslims had been murdered by Hindus which resulted in a lot of tension and something akin to an unofficial curfew was imposed. Pushpa Singhal of the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) had arrived that day, and my father had gone out of the house to hear her speech.”
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