Sambhal violence: PIL in Allahabad High Court for FIR, arrest of erring police officials, DM

A public interest litigation (PIL) has been filed before the Allahabad High Court seeking registration of a first information report (FIR) against police officials and the district magistrate (DM) in relation to the death of four individuals in the communal violence that broke out in Sambhal district of Uttar Pradesh..The PIL has been filed by one Mohammed Yusuf, the Secretary of Hazrat Khwaja Garib Nawaz Association, through Advocates Saher Naqvi and Mohd. Arif.The communal clashes took place following a court-ordered survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid.On November 19, a civil court in Sambhal had directed an advocate commissioner to conduct a survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal.The direction was issued in response to a plea filed by Advocate Hari Shankar Jain and seven others who claimed that the mosque was constructed over a demolished temple during the Mughal era.Four people were reportedly killed amid stone-pelting and vehicle-torching incidents that followed the order.Violence erupted between protestors and police personnel on November 24 after a team of surveyors arrived in Chandausi town to conduct a second survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid, after the initial survey on November 19.An autopsy had ruled out police firing as the cause of the deaths..The PIL before the High Court has sought directions to the State to register criminal cases against the Additional Superintendent of Police, the Senior Superintendent of Police (SP), the District Magistrate (DM) and the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM), among others.The petitioner has also prayed for a strict order to the Uttar Pradesh government to arrest all erring parties at the earliest..This is the second PIL before the High Court in relation to the incident. A PIL was filed yesterday before the High Court seeking a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into the violence.On November 19, a civil court in Sambhal directed an advocate commissioner to conduct a survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal..A petition was also moved before the Supreme Court seeking a stay in the survey of the mosque..In that case, the top court asked the trial court at Sambhal not to take any action pursuant to its order calling for a survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid.A Bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna and Justice PV Sanjay Kumar also called upon the authorities to maintain peace and harmony in the wake of the violence that followed the court order.