Zafar Ali, a prominent lawyer and the Sadar Chief of Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal, was arrested by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Uttar Pradesh Police on Sunday in connection with the 2024 protests against the survey of the mosque and the police violence that followed.
Before his arrest, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the local police took Zafar Ali into custody to record his statement regarding the case.
The police claimed that Zafar Ali was among the first to receive information about the official survey scheduled in Sambhal. On 19 November last year, he was allegedly informed in advance about the survey, after which local Muslims gathered to protest, claims police.
Advocate Mohammad Tahir, elder brother of Zafar Ali, said to reporters: “He (Zafar Ali) was supposed to appear before the commission tomorrow to give his statement, but the police want to prevent him from doing so. However, he will testify exactly as he stated in the press conference. As of now, we have not spoken to him, but from what I have learned, he is being arrested. Let them proceed; no issue…”
Advocate Shakeel Ahmad, a lawyer said to IANS news agency: “Zafar Ali has been officially charged and is now being taken to Chandausi. We will apply for bail after the medical examination, and he will be granted bail. The police administration has wrongfully arrested an innocent person. They had no authority to arrest him…”
According to the FIR accessed by Maktoob, Zafar Ali was arrested based on a complaint filed by Jitendra Deepak Rathi, a senior divisional official of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP). Rathi alleged that local Muslims protested and attacked the VHP team after they arrived in Sambhal following a survey team’s visit.
Ali was booked under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, including Sections 191(2), 191(3), 190, 221, 132, 125, 324(5), 196, 223(b), and 326(F). He was also charged under Section 3 of the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (Indian Evidence Act), 2023 and Section 5 of the Sarvajanik Sampatti Nuksan Nivaran Adhiniyam (Public Property Damage Prevention Act), 1984.
The arrest comes a month after UP Police’s Special Investigation Team submitted chargesheets in six cases related to the November 24 protest against the mosque survey, totaling over 4,400 pages.
This story was originally published in maktoobmedia.com. Read the full story here.
