A judicial commission has submitted its report to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath regarding the violence that occurred in Sambhal in November 2024 during a survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid. The report addresses the events leading to the violence and potential demographic shifts in the region.
Zafar Ali, the president of the Shahi Jama Masjid committee in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, was arrested on Sunday in connection with the violence that erupted in November 2022 over a court-ordered survey of the mosque. Ali's brother alleged that the arrest was intended to prevent him from submitting his testimony before a judicial commission investigating the violence. The mosque has been at the center of a controversy after a petition claimed it was the site of an ancient Hindu temple. The violence resulted in four deaths and several injuries.
The Allahabad high court on March 12 directed the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to undertake and complete the whitewashing at the mosque within one week.
Holi and Friday prayers passed peacefully in Sambhal district of Uttar Pradesh amid tight security, officials said.
The Sambhal administration in Uttar Pradesh has stated that no work should be carried out on the Shahi Jama Masjid without the approval of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). This decision comes after the mosque's management committee sought permission to redecorate the mosque ahead of Ramzan. The matter is currently pending in court, and the property belongs to the ASI. The administration has emphasized that no tampering with the mosque is allowed until the ASI grants permission.
An Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) team on Thursday carried out measurements and assessments ahead of the planned whitewashing and renovation work of the Shahi Jama Masjid, officials said.
The survey report of the Shahi Jama Masjid at Sambhal expected on Monday, was not presented by the advocate commissioner entrusted with it, after he sought an extension of 15 days citing ill health.
A lawyer representing the Hindu side in the ongoing dispute over the Sambhal Jama Masjid has defended the second survey of the mosque, claiming it was conducted on the orders of the advocate commissioner. He also dismissed claims that the survey was conducted in haste or without court orders.
Zafar announced on social media that his wife Alicia and he were blessed with a baby girl over the weekend.
The Uttar Pradesh Police is mulling over slapping the stringent National Security Act (NSA) against the six people arrested for the rape and murder of two Dalit sisters in the state's Lakhimpur Kheri.
Gearing up for the assembly polls next year, the Congress on Wednesday constituted the election committee for Uttar Pradesh, which includes state unit chief Ajay Kumar Lallu and former Union ministers Salman Khurshid, Rajeev Shukla and R P N Singh.
The demand for minerals, boulders and sand is so great that it has fueled a black market and the goons who control this trade do not hesitate to kill law enforcement officers and reporters who have tried to expose them.
Parents of the girl murdered inside a police station in Lakhimpur on Wednesday demanded a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the incident, hours after Chief Minister Mayawati said she has no objection to a such an inquiry if the victim's family wants it. The father and mother of the 14-year-old girl gave in writing to local Congress Member of Parliament Zafar Ali Naqvi their request for a CBI inquiry into the alleged rape and murder of their daughter.
Pakistani pacer Mohammad Asif's 19-day ordeal eventually came to an end on Thursday after the authorities in Dubai decided to release him from detention for carrying contraband drugs. He will be deported to Pakistan on Thursday night or early Friday morning, Dr Zafar Ali, media chancellor of the Pakistan Embassy in UAE, said.
Seven accused were held on Tuesday while one person is still at large, the official said, adding all of them fall in the age bracket of 20-25.
Congress's UP chief ministerial candidate Sheila Dikshit and Ghulam Babi Azad will also be present in the roadshow.
The second list has named 16 candidates from Uttar Pradesh and five from Maharashtra.
President Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday embarked on a six-day state visit to Belgium and Turkey with education being the focus of his maiden trip to Europe after taking over as the Head of the State.
The roadshow will begin from Kachahari at 12 noon after party leaders garland the statue of BR Ambedkar and will cover a distance of around eight kilometers in three hours.
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