NEW DELHI: Congress MP Rajiv Shukla announced on Tuesday that Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, along with a delegation of Congress leaders, has departed for Sambhal.
“Rahul Gandhi and the Congress delegation have left for Sambhal directly from Parliament,” Shukla told ANI.
The visit comes in the wake of a stone-pelting incident on November 24, which occurred during a survey team’s visit to the Shahi Jama Masjid.
On Monday, Rahul Gandhi criticized the BJP over the Sambhal violence, accusing the ruling party of “insensitive actions” in managing the situation. He alleged that the BJP’s approach was deepening divisions and promoting discrimination between the Hindu and Muslim communities.
At the same time, a 12-member delegation from the Samajwadi Party is also heading to the affected region to assess the situation. Samajwadi Party leader and Uttar Pradesh Assembly’s Leader of Opposition, Mata Prasad Pandey, explained that their visit aims to investigate what they termed as “police atrocities” following the incident.
“We will meet the families of the youths who lost their lives in the violence. Do the police ever take responsibility for their actions? These days, they carry both government-issued and illegal weapons, using the latter to fire shots,” Pandey claimed.
Meanwhile, markets in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, have reopened after the unrest. Deputy Inspector General of Police for the Moradabad Range, Muniraj G., stated that the situation has returned to normal.
“The situation is stable, and the markets are operating as usual. People need not worry. Innocent individuals will not be punished. So far, seven FIRs have been filed, and suspects are being identified with the help of video footage,” DIG Muniraj said.
The incident has sparked criticism in Parliament, with the Opposition accusing the Yogi Adityanath government of mishandling the violence.
The survey at Shahi Jama Masjid was part of a legal process following a petition by senior advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, who claimed that the mosque was originally a temple.
