A court in Sambhal, UP, has directed police to register criminal cases against 12 police personnelover their alleged role in a shooting during violence near the Shahi Jama Masjid in Nov. 2024.
Chief Judicial Magistrate Vibhanshu Sudhir passed the order after hearing a petition filed by Yameen, a resident of Khaggu Sarai Anjuman area. Yameen alleged police firing injured his son Alam during unrest near the mosque on Nov. 24. Asper 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 ASP Firozabad, and Anuj Tomar, then station house officer of Sambhal KotwaliChandausi. 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 Jan. 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.