four dead in clashes over the mosque claimed by Hindus

Clashes between protesters and police during an inspection of the Shahi Jama mosque, which some extremists say was built in the 16th century on the remains of a Hindu temple. The protests began with stone throwing and neighbors claim that the murdered men, all Muslims, were shot by officers.

Sambhal (/Agencies) – At least four people died in clashes between protesters and police in the city of Sambhal, in the State of Uttar Pradesh, northern India. This is a new sectarian controversy linked to the origins of places of worship in India. The violence broke out during an inspection by the authorities at the Shahi Jama mosque, a construction that dates back to the 16th century and is protected by a series of regulations due to its historical and religious value.

The police reported that a group of people gathered near the mosque, threw stones and shouted slogans at the team in charge of carrying out an inspection by order of the local Justice, which had received a presentation explaining that the mosque was built in 1526. on the remains of a Hindu temple.

Protesters later claimed that the four men who died, all Muslims, had been shot by police, although authorities deny this. Commissioner Aunjaneya Kumar Singh said that the agents were forced to use force. Local authorities today suspended Internet services and closed schools for a day, while 16 people were arrested.

Yesterday the second inspection of the mosque was carried out. A local court had ordered a first inspection to collect photographic and video material on Tuesday, November 19. Officials in Uttar Pradesh – a state governed by the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Hindu ultranationalist party from which Prime Minister Narendra Modi comes – had carried out the inspection that same day, which sparked protests from Muslims: “We have not received no prior notice. Our opinion was not sought. They moved quickly, but there was no emergency or urgency,” said local MP Zia Ur Rehman Barq, a member of the Samajwadi Party, who intervened to calm tensions.

The controversy over Shahi Jama Masjid is just the latest in a series of disputes involving Indian mosques. In January of this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Rama in Ayodhya, where tensions between Hindus and Muslims began in 1992, when a group of fanatics destroyed the Babri mosque, also from the 16th century. The extremists justify their actions by stating that, during the Mughal Empire, Muslim invaders destroyed Hindu temples to build mosques on the same site. The petitioners who filed the petition before the court (Rishi Raj Giri and Hari Shanker Jain) are also involved in other similar cases, such as those related to places of worship in Varanasi and Mathura. The results of the inspections will be presented to the court on November 29.