Police detain SP MP Zia-ur-Rehman Barq for allegedly provoking violence during mosque inspection in UP's Sambhal

Samajwadi Party MP Zia-ur-Rehman Barq and Sohail Iqbal, the son of local SP MLA Iqbal Mehmood, were arrested by Sambhal police on Nov 25 in relation to violence during a court-ordered inspection of a mosque.

Evidence of "provocative acts" by the MP has been presented by the police and local administration.

The violence claimed four lives and injured numerous others, including 24 police and administrative personnel. Till now, the police have detained 25 people.

According to Divisional Commissioner Aunjaneya Kumar Singh, the death appears to have been caused by gunfire from country-made weapons. Seven FIRs have been registered over the violence.

"There is evidence against MP Ziaur Rahman Barq that he has committed provocative acts. Action has been taken against him under the provisions of the BNS," Singh said.

On Nov 25, Superintendent of Police Krishan Kumar said the FIR mentioned six individuals, including Barq and Iqbal.

Barq's "Jama Masjid ki hifazat" (defense of Jama Masjid) statement, according to the official, encouraged the crowd.

"Due to Barq's statement earlier, the situation worsened. He was given a notice earlier for this," said Kumar.

Regarding Barq being in Bengaluru rather than Sambhal on the day of the violence, Kumar said that the FIR contained the MP's name because of his prior statements.

People who lived within a 10- to 15-km radius made up the mob that flung stones at the survey crew and set vehicles on fire, according to District Magistrate Rajender Pensiya.

The clashes began between the villagers and the police during a court-ordered inspection of a Mughal-era mosque, the Shahi Jama Masjid.

Due to allegations that it was constructed on the location of a Hindu temple, the mosque is at the center of a heated legal dispute.

Congress MPs Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, as well as opposition leaders including Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, criticized the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh for the incident.

“The biased and hasty attitude of the state government on the recent dispute in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, is extremely unfortunate," Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, wrote in a post on X on Nov 25.

He said that the BJP government is directly to blame for the administration's harsh actions that further deteriorated the atmosphere and resulted in fatalities, without considering the opinions of all parties.

"The BJP's use of power to create a rift and discrimination between Hindu-Muslim communities is neither in the interest of the state nor the country," he said.

However, Sakshi Maharaj, a BJP MP, called the violence "pre-planned."

Authorities have prohibited any outsider, social group, or public official from visiting Sambhal without the orders of the authorities till Nov 30.

Since the Jama Masjid was surveyed on Nov 19 on the orders of a local court after a petition alleging that a Harihar temple stood there, Sambhal has been tense.

According to the officials, the survey was scheduled for the morning of Nov 24 in order to avoid interference with the afternoon prayers that are regularly done, as it could not be finished on Nov 19.

Gopal Sharma, a local lawyer for the Hindu side, said that in 1529, Mughal Emperor Babur destroyed the temple that had previously existed there.