A PIL application seeking an independent investigation into the alleged police atrocities during the Sambhal violence was withdrawn today which was allowed by the Allahabad High Court.
A bench consisting of Justices Ashwani Kumar Mishra and Dr. Gautam Chowdhary permitted the Association of Protection of Civil Rights (APCR) to withdraw its PIL appeal, pointing out that the State Government had previously established a judicial inquiry committee to look into the violent incident.
The court was also informed that every prayer in the PIL petition is within the scope of the Uttar Pradesh government’s probe commission. As a result, the Court allowed the petitioner to withdraw the plea and to come before the court at a suitable time.
Last month, the Uttar Pradesh government established a three-member judicial commission that included retired IPS officer Arvind Kumar Jain, retired IAS officer Amit Mohan Prasad, and retired Allahabad High Court judge Devendra Kumar Arora. On November 24, as a delegation headed by an advocate commissioner inspected the Mughal-era Jama Mosque on a local court’s orders, violence broke out in Sambhal district.
Four people were killed in the riot that broke out between demonstrators who opposed the Jama Masjid survey and security guards. According to the media, the demonstrators set cars on fire and threw stones at the police, while the security guards used batons and tear gas to scatter the crowd.
