By Nikita Jain
There is an eerie silence as one enters the lane leading up to Shahi Jama Masjid in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal city. Just a day before, the area was in shambles as local Muslims, protesting against a court-ordered survey of the mosque and a Hindutva mob shouting genocidal slogans, were fired upon by the Uttar Pradesh Police, killing five people.
A 16th-century mosque, Shahi Jama Masjid, became a topic of controversy after a petition was filed claiming a temple was demolished to build the mosque. A disturbing pattern of attacking mosques has emerged with the recent incident. The violence, meanwhile, has left the community devastated.
Locals have alleged that the officials came early—around 6 am—on Monday morning to conduct the surveys. As the news spread, people started gathering outside the mosque. It was then that the situation escalated, with rumours giving way to misinformation, which led to chaos.
With the involvement of Hindutva groups using derogatory language and chanting slogans, the situation further escalated.
Amidst this, the Uttar Pradesh Police, instead of calming the situation, fired at the protesters, prompting stone-pelting. The police, along with shooting the protesters, were also seen pelting stones.
In the violence, five lives were lost, leaving the families in shambles and many people injured.
This story was originally published in maktoobmedia.com. Read the full story here.