The administration had claimed that they stumbled upon the temple during an anti-encroachment drive.

Not only did Adityanath deny riots in Bahraich and Sambhal, he also made communal and divisive references to Muslim voters as well as Muslim MLAs while referring to the recent Kundarki by-poll.

Congress worker Prabhat Pandey died in Lucknow after being beaten by police during a ‘gherao’. In Assam’s Guwahati, Congress’s legal secretary Mridul Islam died after being injured by a tear-gas shell during a protest, the party said.

The government's letter, printed in both English and Hindi, guides journalists on how to approach a story on the Maha Kumbh Mela and exactly whom to interview for it. 

“The truth is that puja was performed in this temple till 16 years ago and the lock of this temple was put by the Rastogi family itself. The maintenance of the temple was done by the Muslims of the neighbourhood,” MP Zia-ur-Rehman Barq said.

The Uttar Pradesh chief minister also criticised the Opposition MPs for bringing in an impeachment notice against Yadav for making communal remarks against Muslims at an event organised by the VHP.

“Now there will be peace and harmony. And those spreading hate will have to shut their shops,” S.M. Yasin told ‘The Wire’.

Hindu plaintiffs moved a suit seeking the removal of Muslims from the 14th-century mosque. They ask that it be handed over to Hindus for worship and other rituals.

The survey also found that women in leadership or representative roles were at a higher chance of facing witchcraft-related violence.

The Fatehpur administration's decision to tear down a part of the Noori Masjid came just three days before the Allahabad high court was to hear a petition filed by the caretakers of the mosque.

Srinagar MP Ruhullah Mehdi said he was moving an impeachment motion in parliament against the judge for his comments described by many as 'hate speech.' Several rights and lawyers' bodies have written to the CJI.

The Bar Association of India has condemned Yadav's remarks, stating: “These remarks are contrary to the principle of secularism as enshrined in the Constitution of India... in flagrant violation of the oath of office of a judge of constitutional court.”

In a controversial 34-minute long speech delivered by him in the library hall of the Allahabad high court on Sunday, December 8, Justice Yadav made several references to the “ills” in the Muslim society.

A resident said it was unacceptable that the flat, which faces a temple, was sold to a Muslim family.

Talking to The Wire, Ali was responding to the ASI’s claims that the managing committee of the mosque had blocked entry to its officials and distorted the original form of the structure.

The cartridges included a fired case marked POF 9mm 68-26, made in Pakistan, said Krishan Kumar Bishnoi, Sambhal SP.

An SP delegation was 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.

Reacting to the orders for a judicial probe, SP MP from Faizabad Awadhesh Prasad said that it was announced to put the “matter on hold” and to “divert people’s minds.”

According to their theory, regurgitated without scrutiny by large sections of the vernacular Hindi media, last Sunday’s firing incident was a result of the fight for domination between two political families of Sambhal.

Zafar Ali also claimed that he was present at the spot when he overheard the Moradabad deputy inspector general, Sambhal superintendent of police, and Sambhal district magistrate discussing that shooting orders be passed against the crowd.