Omar Rashid 
New Delhi: Opposition parties are up in arms over the Sambhal administration’s decision to not allow them to visit the district to meet the families of the five Muslim men killed in the violence involving the police during a survey of a Mughal-era mosque on November 24.
Delegations of senior leaders and elected representatives of the Samajwadi Party (SP), Congress and the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation (CPI ML Liberation) have attempted to go to Sambhal but have been prevented from doing so by the state police. Many of them were either placed under temporary house arrest or had their vehicles forced to retreat.
After a 15-member delegation of the SP was on November 30 prevented from going to Sambhal to take stock of the situation and meet the kin of the victims, the police made similar interventions against teams of the CPI ML Liberation and the Congress on December 1 and 2, respectively.
The district administration has put a ban on the entry of any outsider, social organisation or public representative into Sambhal without the permission of the concerned authorities. The ban would be in place till December 10.
According to district magistrate Rajender Pensiya, the restrictions on the entry of outsiders and gatherings are necessary as the situation continues to be “extremely sensitive” following the violent incident of November 24. In an order issued on November 29, Pensiya said that the administration has received inputs from reliable sources that some “anti-social elements” could try to disturb peace.
Also read: To Absolve Police, BJP Creates ‘Turk-Pathan’ Rivalry Angle Blaming Muslims for Sambhal Violence
The restrictions were enforced to prevent riots and damage to private and public property, the district magistrate’s order said.
While the administration has argued that the restrictions have been put in place to prevent a law and order situation, Opposition parties feel it is part of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government’s design to hinder access to the victims of the alleged police excesses. They, along with the families of those killed, have alleged that the victims were shot by the police, a charge strongly denied by the administration.
“The government is deliberately stopping us so that it can hide what it has done,” Mata Prasad Pandey, Leader of the Opposition in Uttar Pradesh, told reporters after police prevented him from leaving for Sambhal.
Pandey, a senior SP MLA, wondered why the SP’s delegation was not being allowed to visit the violence-hit place when a judicial commission team and the media from outside were not denied entry.
“Their entry is not causing any harm. But if we go there, will there be disorder?” asked Pandey.
SP president Akhilesh Yadav condemned the police’s house arrest move, and asked if the restrictions were for preventing entry to Sambhal why then were senior SP leaders not allowed to leave their homes in Lucknow. “Has the BJP government imposed an emergency in the entire state,” Yadav asked.
On Sunday, a delegation of the CPI ML Liberation led by MP Sudama Prasad, who were travelling to Sambhal on a fact-finding mission, were stopped in Moradabad. They were placed under ‘house arrest’ by the local police, the CPI ML Liberation said.
The party accused the Adityanath government of acting in accordance with its “shameful track record of obstructing truth from coming out.”
“No discussion is being allowed in the parliament, no protests are being allowed in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi, people’s representatives are not being allowed to meet the victims in Sambhal. It is unfortunate that the double engine government at Centre and State are doing everything in their capacity not to allow any discussion and protest on the killings of Muslims in Sambhal,” the party said.
On Monday, SP leader and Sambhal MP Zia-ur-Rehman Barq said his party leaders planned to visit the affected area so that they could gather correct information about the alleged role of the police and the administration in the violence.
“What’s the point of stopping us? We want to go there and meet families of the victims and to improve the situation spoiled by the police and administration,” said Barq.
Amid dramatic scenes outside the Congress Uttar Pradesh headquarters in Lucknow, the police blocked party leaders from leaving for Sambhal. Led by Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai, Congress workers and leaders staged a sit-in on the road in protest.
“What objection does the government have if we want to try and restore peace in Sambhal? Had the government shown the same alertness in Sambhal as it is showing in stopping us, then five innocent lives would not have been lost,” said Rai.
The Congress leader, a former legislator, said that the party would send another delegation to Sambhal as soon as the administration removes the restrictions.
Also read: Sambhal Mosque Violence: Uttar Pradesh Govt Orders Judicial Probe But Questions Remain
Speaking to the media, Sambhal district magistrate Pensiya on Saturday justified the ban by saying that the restrictions were in place due to the “sensitivity” of the issue and caution.”
Pensiya, however, insisted that the place had returned to normalcy.
The BJP-led government has accused the SP of trying to spoil the atmosphere in Sambhal.
Keshav Prasad Maurya, Uttar Pradesh deputy chief minister said, “The riot in Sambhal is a part of this conspiracy of SP, the real architect of which and the operator of ‘fake PDA’ is Mr. Akhilesh Yadav himself. By making such efforts to hide their failure in election, an attempt is being made to spoil the peaceful atmosphere of the state and hamper its progress.”