Zaki RehmanThe city of Sambhal in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh is on alert after three people were killed and dozens injured in violent clashes on Sunday.
Clashes broke out between protesters and police during a court-monitored survey of the Mughal-era Jama Masjid (mosque).
Authorities arrested 21 people in connection with the violence and suspended internet services and closed area schools for a day.
The survey was ordered by a local court last week after a petition claimed the mosque had been built on the site of a demolished temple.
Videos and photos of the clashes shared on social media showed sandals, bricks and stones scattered across the mosque.
Protesters alleged that three men were shot by police but authorities denied this.
“No weapon used could have claimed anyone’s life,” Superintendent of Police Krishan Kumar told the Hindu newspaper.
The controversy surrounding Jama Masjid is the latest issue in a series of disputes surrounding mosques in the countrywhere Hindu groups claim that Mughal rulers destroyed temples to build them.
Legal cases related to these claims are currently being fought by Muslim groups in various courts.
In Sambhal, tensions have been rising since Tuesday, after a local court ordered a video-recorded survey of the Jama Masjid. The survey was conducted hours after a petition suggested that the mosque was built after Mughal ruler Babur destroyed the Hari Har temple in the 1520s.
Authorities in Uttar Pradesh, ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), conducted an initial survey of the mosque the same day.
Getty ImagesSections of Muslim groups in Sambhal have objected to this, claiming that they were not informed about it in advance. They also have question the urgency which the court ordered to be carried out.
A second survey of the mosque was held on Sunday morning, which turned violent after a large group of protesters gathered near the mosque and started chanting, police said. sign into the survey group.
Top police official Aunjaneya Kumar Singh told the Hindu that protesters were said to have thrown stones at police, leaving them with no other option but to use force to escort the survey team to safety. full.
He added that tear gas and plastic bullets were fired to disperse the crowd.
Mr. Singh identified the three victims as Naeem, Bilal and Nauman and said they died of bullet wounds during the encounter.
Opposition leaders have criticized the state government and accused it of orchestrating the violence for political gain – a charge they deny.
“No one is allowed to take the law into their own hands,” Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak told the Indian Express, adding that authorities were investigating the matter.
Mahmood Madani, president of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind – a leading organization of Muslim scholars – condemned the disputes surrounding mosques in the country, saying they violate Indian law .
