Sambhal: A court in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal district has directed police to register criminal cases against 12 police personnel over their alleged role in a shooting during violence near the Shahi Jama Masjid in November 2024. The order includes senior officers and several unidentified personnel present during the incident.
Chief Judicial Magistrate Vibhanshu Sudhir passed the order after hearing a petition filed by Yameen, a resident of the Khaggu Sarai Anjuman area. Yameen alleged police firing injured his son Alam during unrest near the mosque on November 24. According to the petition, Alam had stepped out to sell rusk and biscuits when violence broke out. He sustained a bullet injury during police action.
Those named include Anuj Chaudhary, then circle officer of Sambhal and now additional superintendent of police in Firozabad, and Anuj Tomar, then station house officer of Sambhal Kotwali Chandausi. The court also ordered cases against other police personnel whose identities remain unknown.
The petition stated fear forced Alam to seek treatment while remaining in hiding. The family later approached the court seeking accountability. After a hearing on January 9, the magistrate directed registration of first information reports against all named and unnamed officers.
At least five Muslims lost their lives during the Sambhal violence, according to eyewitness accounts and families. Most deaths reportedly followed police firing during protests linked to a court ordered survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid. The survey followed a civil suit claiming the mosque stood on a former temple site. Authorities conducted the exercise in two phases on November 19 and November 24, drawing large crowds and triggering unrest.
Police registered multiple cases after the violence and named over 2,200 people as accused. Many arrests followed. Civil rights groups welcomed the court order and described it as an opening for families affected by police violence to seek justice.
