NEW DELHI: The Opposition members on Tuesday continued their protests in both Houses of Parliament over violence in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal, where a team of Congress MPs led by Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to visit on December 4 amid restrictions imposed by the district administration.
Gandhi is scheduled to lead five Congress MPs from the BJP-ruled state to Sambhal, which has been tense since November 19, when a Mughal-era mosque was surveyed on court orders following claims that a Harihar temple previously stood at the site. Newly-elected Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is also likely to accompany the delegation.
Responding to media queries on Gandhi’s proposed visit, Sambhal superintendent of police Krishan Kumar said that Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) is already imposed in the district. “No outsider is allowed (to enter Sambhal). If they come, then they will be served a notice,” he said.
Meanwhile, in a bid to corner the BJP over the Sambhal violence, the Opposition on Tuesday staged a walkout in both Houses of Parliament.
Speaking on the issue in Lok Sabha, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav claimed the violence in Sambhal was well-planned and aimed at disturbing communal harmony in a place that has long been a symbol of brotherhood.
Almost the entire Opposition in the Lok Sabha, including Gandhi, walked out briefly from the House on Tuesday over the recent violence in Sambhal. The Samajwadi Party MPs also staged a walkout in the Rajya Sabha.
In Lok Sabha, raising the issue during Zero Hour, the Samajwadi Party chief said that the violence in Sambhal was part of a “well-planned” conspiracy and that the talk of “khudai” (digging) across the country by the BJP and its associates will end up hurting communal amity.
Yadav blamed the local police and administration for the recent violence in Sambhal. He alleged that police personnel fired from official and personal weapons, killing five innocent people and injuring dozens after some locals pelted them with stones to protest their high-handedness.
The Samajwadi Party chief demanded the suspension of guilty officials and registration of a murder case against them to ensure that there is no such “violation” of the Constitution again.
Yadav, amid occasional interruptions from the Treasury Benches, suggested that the BJP’s inner politics were also at work and claimed that it was a “battle” between Delhi and Lucknow.
Speaking outside Parliament, Yadav said that the Uttar Pradesh government was behind the incident. The BJP should look at Kailash Mansarovar, a Hindu pilgrimage site located in China, instead of “digging” everywhere. A day might come when China might not allow Indians to go for darshan, he said.
Samajwadi Party MP Ram Gopal Yadav raised the matter in the Rajya Sabha and echoed similar views.
Ram Gopal Yadav said that Sambhal was converted into a police zone and people were baffled why it was being done. “At one point, water started flowing out of the mosque and people thought some mischief was happening inside. Peace was disturbed with police opening fire, in which five people were killed and several injured,” he said.
Ram Gopal Yadav, however, failed to complete his speech and Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said that certain parts of his statement will not go on record. At this, the SP and some other Opposition parties staged a walkout.
Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) MP E.T. Mohammed Basheer described the Sambhal incident as shocking.
“The peaceful coexistence (of different communities) in this country is becoming more and more difficult. We have to preserve our secularism,” he said.
Basheer alleged that the government is supporting the campaign aimed at targeting mosques and demanded a comprehensive inquiry by a judicial commission.
