– Akhilesh Tripathi
Lucknow: After unrest and violence in Sambhal, Muslims are being unjustly blamed. It is being claimed that an old temple in the area had been closed due to Muslim encroachment, preventing worship. However, these claims are misleading.
On December 14, DM and SP, along with officials from the electricity department, conducted an inspection in Sambhal. During this inspection, they were informed about a locked temple in the predominantly Muslim area of Khaggu Sarai, which had been closed for years. Acting on this information, the DM and SP authorised the opening of the temple. Police officers, Additional SP Shreesh Chandra and CO Anuj Chaudhary, opened the temple, cleaned it, and performed rituals.
News of the temple’s reopening quickly spread, and claims emerged that the temple had been closed for 46 years due to Muslim encroachment. However, the officers who unlocked the temple and performed the worship have not corroborated these claims.
Sambhal DM Rajendra Pensia confirmed that the temple in Khaggu Sarai had been closed for years and that excavation work is now underway to restore the temple’s well. Investigations will determine the temple’s age, and efforts will be made to restore pilgrimage sites and wells in the region.
Local residents reveal that before 1978, 40 Hindu families lived in Khaggu Sarai. After communal riots that year, these families moved away, leaving behind their properties and businesses. The temple in question is an ancient Shiva temple that had fallen into disrepair.
Vishnu Sharan Rastogi, 82, explained, “Our ancestors lived here and worshipped in the temple. After selling our homes, we could no longer maintain the temple. As the area became predominantly Muslim, no priest was willing to come, so the temple remained closed.”
Rastogi’s account counters the claim that Muslims had locked or taken over the temple. The efforts to paint Muslims as responsible for locking the temple are unfounded and are stirring unnecessary hostility.
The Sambhal administration’s role in this matter is questionable. If the Hindus sold their homes and moved away, leaving the temple closed, how could Muslims have taken over the temple? Just because a temple is in a Muslim-majority area, does it imply Muslim occupation? Both the Sambhal administration and the police have not clarified these points, likely because doing so would expose the truth.
Furthermore, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s statements about the issue are misleading. In an assembly session, he claimed that 40 Hindu families fled due to fear of violence in 1978, leaving the temple without a caretaker. However, Vishnu Sharan Rastogi confirmed that the families sold their homes voluntarily and moved, and locals reported that many of these families continue to run businesses around Khaggu Sarai. If the families left out of fear, why have they continued to operate businesses in the area?
These contradictions remain unresolved and obscure the truth.
Sambhal’s city Qazi, Marghoob Naushahi, condemned the defamatory claims against Muslims regarding the temple. He said, “The closed temple is a testament to the respect Muslims have for other religions. Despite being locked for nearly 46 years, not a single brick has been damaged, and the donation box remains untouched. False rumours are being spread about Muslims, but they have, in fact, protected the temple.”
Maulana Qari Ishaq Gora, patron of Jamiat Dawatul Muslimeen, also criticised the administration and police for reopening the temple without addressing the long-term neglect. He condemned the political agenda that seeks to sow division between Hindus and Muslims, saying, “Such divisive politics is wrong, and attempts to create rifts in society are harmful.”
The temple issue was raised in UP Legislative Council by Samajwadi Party MLCs Ashutosh Sinha and Shah Alam, who demanded a discussion. Alam pointed out the hypocrisy of questioning Muslims over events from centuries ago while ignoring the current situation.
Following CM Adityanath’s statements in the assembly, Moradabad Commissioner Anjaneya Kumar Singh has ordered officials to review old reports of the 1978 riots and gather relevant files. This move may reignite old controversies, which could lead to further tensions in Sambhal.
