VHP demands NSA against Sambhal violence perpetrators, accuses Congress, SP of fanning tempers

New Delhi: The Vishva Hindu Parishad on Monday condemned the violence in Sambal district of Uttar Pradesh and demanded those involved in the case be booked under the National Security Act.

VHP joint general secretary Surendra Jain also demanded that the culprits and their supporters be also booked under NSA and all of them should be made to compensate for the damage caused in the violence.

Three people were killed and scores of others, including around 20 security personnel and four personnel of the administration, were injured as protesters opposing a court-ordered survey of a Mughal-era mosque here clashed with police on Sunday. One injured person died on Monday.

"The way Muslim fundamentalists pelted stones on police, fired bullets and committed arson in Sambhal is highly condemnable. The way Muslim leaders, maulanas and many leaders of the Samajwadi party and the Congress, including Rahul Gandhi, have supported this violence is also worrisome," Jain said.

He alleged that the violence was carried out "at the behest of maulanas" and accused the Congress and Samajwadi Party leaders of making "provocative statements." Jain added, "Rioters and their supporters should be booked under the NSA and arrested immediately. All the losses caused by them should also be recovered from them."

Police on Monday said they have lodged seven FIRs in connection with the violence, naming Samajwadi Party MP Zia-ur-Rehman Barq and local SP MLA Iqbal Mehmood's son Sohail Iqbal as accused.

Addressing a press conference, Superintendent of Police Krishan Kumar said six people, including Barq and Iqbal, were named in these FIRs and 2,750 others have been mentioned as unidentified.

"Due to Barq's statement earlier, the situation became worse here," he added.

The district administration has already imposed prohibitory orders and barred the entry of outsiders into Sambhal till November 30. Internet services are suspended in Sambhal tehsil and the district administration declared Monday a school holiday.

Tension had been brewing in Sambhal since November 19 when the local Jama Masjid was first surveyed on the court's orders following a petition claiming that a Harihar temple had stood at the site.