Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India]: Senior Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Mata Prasad Pandey announced his visit to the violence-affected Sambhal district on Monday. Accompanied by a party delegation, he aims to meet the families of victims who were killed in a police shooting.
“Akhilesh Yadav had announced compensation of ₹5 lakh each for the families of the victims who lost their lives in the violence. I am visiting Sambhal to provide them with this financial aid,” Pandey stated.
“I will visit Sambhal today. Our national president (Akhilesh Yadav) had announced ₹5 lakh each as compensation for the families of those killed by police firing. I am going to Sambhal to provide the compensation. I will have a team (delegation) with me which was formed to visit earlier. The administration is not stopping me since I already spoke with the District Magistrate,” he added.
Pandey, who serves as the Leader of Opposition in the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly, shared that he will travel to Sambhal by road after a flight from Lucknow to Delhi. His visit follows directives from SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, with other regional party leaders expected to join him.
In a related development, Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) in Sambhal, Shrish Chandra, confirmed the arrest of 50 individuals connected to the violence near the Jama Masjid area on November 24. “A person named Adnan, wanted in the case, was arrested from Delhi’s Batla House based on CCTV evidence. He and his associates were involved in the incident,” Chandra stated.
The ASP further mentioned that investigations are ongoing to identify those supporting or sheltering the suspects, promising strict action against them.
The unrest erupted last month during an Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) examination of a Mughal-era mosque in Sambhal, resulting in four fatalities and multiple injuries to police personnel and locals. As a preventive measure, work has commenced on establishing a police post in the vacant ground near Jama Masjid.
Reacting to the developments, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi criticized the Uttar Pradesh government, saying, “The Uttar Pradesh government has money for nothing else but for liquor bars and police posts.”