Lucknow, August 28, 2025 – A three-member judicial panel has just handed over a massive 450-page report to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, shedding light on the deadly violence that rocked Sambhal last November. The report, which digs deep into the clashes around a historic mosque, paints a picture of long-standing tensions, sharp demographic changes, and what looks like a well-orchestrated plot against the local Hindu community. This comes nine months after the incident that left four people dead and dozens injured, including police officers. As the government reviews the findings, questions are swirling about what steps will be taken next to heal old wounds and prevent future flare-ups.
The violence broke out on November 24, 2024, in the town of Sambhal, about 190 kilometers east of Delhi. It started during a court-ordered survey by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) at the Shahi Jama Masjid, a 500-year-old mosque built during the Mughal era. Local Hindu groups, led by lawyers like Hari Shankar Jain and his son Vishnu Shankar Jain, had filed a petition claiming the mosque stood on the ruins of an ancient Harihar Temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva. They argued that historical records showed the temple was destroyed in the 16th century by Mughal emperor Babur’s commander. The survey was meant to check these claims, but things turned ugly fast.
Protesters gathered near the mosque, and soon stones were flying, shops were set on fire, and gunfire echoed through the streets. Police say Muslim mobs attacked them and local Hindus, leading to cross-firing. Four people were killed, and at least 29 officers were hurt. The chaos forced authorities to shut down the internet, close schools, and impose curfews. In the aftermath, police filed 12 cases, arrested 80 people, and named 159 suspects in total. A special team from the Uttar Pradesh Police later submitted a chargesheet running over 4,000 pages in half of those cases, revealing a stockpile of weapons that raised eyebrows.
The judicial panel was set up soon after by the state government to get to the bottom of it all. Led by retired Allahabad High Court judge Devendra Kumar Arora, the team also included former IAS officer Amit Mohan Prasad and retired IPS officer Arvind Kumar Jain. They spent months talking to witnesses, reviewing documents, and piecing together the puzzle. Their report, delivered today, doesn’t just focus on that one day, it goes back decades to explain why Sambhal keeps boiling over.
One of the biggest shocks in the report is the huge shift in who lives in Sambhal. Back in 1947, when India gained independence, Hindus made up about 45% of the population in the town’s municipal area. Muslims were around 55%. Fast forward to now, and Hindus are down to just 15-20%, while Muslims have climbed to 85%. The panel blames this on years of fear and displacement caused by repeated communal clashes. They say Hindus have been forced to sell their homes and move out after each riot, creating an “atmosphere of terror” that pushes families away. Some sources even point to “appeasement politics”, favoring one community over another as a reason for this imbalance. It’s not just numbers, it’s about how these changes have made the town more prone to trouble.
And speaking of riots, the report lists a whopping 15 major ones since 1947. Here’s the timeline they put together: 1947, 1948, 1953, 1958, 1962, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1990, 1992, 1995, 2001, and 2019. That’s more than one every five years on average. In almost every case, the panel says Hindus bore the brunt – homes burned, shops looted, people hurt or killed. The report goes into detail about how these events weren’t random, they often started over small disputes but escalated because of deeper grudges. For instance, early riots in the late 1940s involved clashes between Turks and Pathans, but soon locals got pulled in, with Hindus as the main targets. The 1978 riot was especially bad, lasting days and causing widespread damage. The panel argues that this pattern has slowly eroded the Hindu presence, turning Sambhal into a hotspot for unrest.
Diving into the 2024 incident, the report calls it a “pre-planned conspiracy” aimed straight at Hindus. They say rioters were brought in from outside areas, armed and ready to cause havoc. But thanks to a strong police setup in Hindu neighborhoods, the attackers couldn’t do as much damage as they wanted. Instead, the clashes mostly hit the police and the protesters themselves. The panel points to speeches by local leaders, like Samajwadi Party MP Ziaur Rahman Barq, who allegedly stirred up crowds by warning against the survey. Mosque committee head Zafar Ali was also named in police cases for inciting trouble. The report says the violence was meant to scare Hindus even more, but quick action by cops stopped it from becoming a full-blown massacre.
What’s really eyebrow-raising is the talk of foreign links. Weapons found at the scene – guns, bullets, even bombs, had markings from the USA, UK, and Germany. The panel wonders how these got into rioters’ hands and hints at outside forces meddling. They also claim Sambhal has turned into a hideout for terrorist groups, with illegal arms and drugs flowing in. This isn’t just local beef, it could point to bigger networks trying to stir up division. The report ties this back to the demographic changes, saying fear from such threats has driven more Hindus away.
On the historical side, the report backs up the claims about the Harihar Temple. It includes evidence from old records and the ASI survey showing signs of a temple under the mosque. This fits into a larger push in Uttar Pradesh to reclaim and revive ancient religious sites. In fact, the government laid the foundation for some of these projects back in May 2025. The panel doesn’t stop at history, it questions how the local administration and police handled things over the years. They point to lapses in keeping peace, like not cracking down on illegal weapons sooner or failing to stop inflammatory speeches.
Not everyone’s buying the report’s story, though. Opposition parties like the Samajwadi Party and Congress are crying foul. SP MP Anand Bhadauria says the report is supposed to be secret until it’s tabled in the assembly, so how do BJP leaders know what’s in it? He hints they might have had a hand in writing it to push their agenda. Congress state chief Ajay Rai goes further, accusing the BJP of leaking bits to spread hate between Hindus and Muslims. “This is a planned way to divide people,” he said. Both parties want strict action against anyone who leaked details, warning it could spark more trouble.
The government hasn’t said much yet. Officials like Principal Secretary (Home) Sanjay Prasad confirm the report’s in hand but need time to study it before deciding on actions. CM Yogi Adityanath, known for his tough stance on law and order, might use this to crack down harder on illegal activities in Sambhal. There could be more arrests, tighter security, or even moves to protect heritage sites. But with elections always around the corner, this could turn into a political hot potato.
Looking back, Sambhal’s story is a sad one. A town with rich history, from Mughal mosques to ancient temples, now scarred by division. The report isn’t just about one riot, it’s a wake-up call on how unchecked violence can change a place forever. Families torn apart, communities shrinking, trust broken. If the findings lead to real changes, like better policing or community talks, maybe Sambhal can find some peace. But for now, residents are holding their breath, hoping this chapter closes without more blood.
