In the Sambhal violence case, the SIT (Special Investigation Team) has taken an important step and arrested Sadar Zafar Ali of Jama Masjid. The action took place on Sunday, when the SIT confirmed the arrest after questioning him.
Arrest after questioning
The SIT had sent a notice to Zafar Ali several times earlier and called him for questioning, but he did not appear. Due to this, when the SIT reached Sambhal to investigate on Sunday, he was detained and questioned in Kotwali. The SIT then arrested him. A heavy police force has been deployed in Kotwali due to security reasons.
ASP Srischandra said that the SIT is investigating the case thoroughly and Sadar is still being questioned. There is a possibility that more important arrests may occur after this inquiry.
Zafar Ali’s brother’s statement: “Police does not want peace”
After the arrest, Zafar Ali’s elder brother Tahir Ali Advocate reached Kotwali and met his brother. He alleged that the police administration does not want peace to remain in the city.
They said,
“Zafar Ali had to make a statement in the judicial commission on Monday, but the police want them to not make a statement. They would give the same statement that the police fired earlier – the police fired. The administration is deliberately preparing to send him to jail, which would increase tension in the city.”
However, ASP Srischandra dismissed the allegations and said that there is complete peace in the city and the administration is taking every necessary steps to maintain law and order.
Zafar Ali did not appear in Lucknow despite summons
On 11 March 2025, Zafar Ali, Masood Ali Farooqui and Qasim Jalal were ordered by the Tri-Material Judicial Inquiry Commission investigating the Sambhal violence. But they did not attend. After this, the Commission again issued summons and directed to appear on 20 March.
So far, the Commission has recorded statements of 160 people by four visits in Sambhal. Statements of 45 officers and citizens including DM, SDM were recorded in the fourth tour. To record the statements of the remaining witnesses, it has now been directed to submit evidence in Lucknow.
Sambhal violence: Description of the entire incident
Violence erupted on 24 November 2024 during a second round survey at Sambhal’s royal Jama Masjid. Four people were killed in this violence, while 29 policemen were injured. A heavy security force was deployed to control the situation.
After this incident, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath formed the Judicial Inquiry Commission for a fair investigation. This commission is headed by retired High Court judge Devendra Arora, while former DGP A.K. Jain and retired Additional Chief Secretary Amit Mohan are members. The Commission has so far collected many important evidence and may soon make its report public on this incident.
What happened in the investigation so far?
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1 December: The Commission visited the violence affected area and inquired from the administrative officials.
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21 January: The team inspected the mosque area, where foreign cartridges were also found. Statements of 60 people including 21 policemen were recorded during this period.
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30 January: The third time the team recorded the statements of health, police and administrative officials. These included ASP Srischandra and Deputy Collector Ramesh Babu.
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March 2: In the fourth tour, the Commission recorded statements of 45 people including DM, SDM. Statements were taken through video conferencing of 77 people.
Further action
The SIT and the Judicial Inquiry Commission are conducting a thorough investigation into the matter. After the arrest of Zafar Ali, there is a possibility of action on more accused. The administration has made it clear that there will be no relaxation to maintain law and order.
