Sambhal violence: Mosque mgmt panel chief’s bail rejected

Bareilly: The additional district judge (ADJ) court in Sambhal on Friday rejected the bail plea of Shahi Jama Masjid's ‘sadar' Zafar Ali in the 2024 violence case. The case diary presented by SIT in court reads: "Ali incited locals two days before the Nov 24 violence in the UP town and later held a press conference in which he shared incorrect information with the media, saying those killed during the unrest were shot by police."
Opposing Ali's bail, public prosecutors said he was in touch with Sambhal MP Zia-ur Rahman Barq, who was named in one of the FIRs as a "key accused for inciting violence". Barq recently received a notice from SIT to appear for questioning by April 8.
Public prosecutor Hari Om Saini said, "Ali's bail was rejected by the court of ADJ Nirbhay Narain Rai as sections against him were grave. He was in touch with suspicious people before the violence and incited individuals, which led to a large gathering. They attacked the police team, vandalised and set vehicles on fire..."
Saini said, "A judge (senior division) made Ali a member of the survey panel. The information about the second survey (of Shahi Jama Masjid on Nov 24) was kept confidential, and only six people, including Ali, were aware of this information. The onus of leaking the information is on Ali, and as per the police investigation, he is also the mastermind behind the violence."
Ali, the Shahi Jama Masjid committee president and also a senior lawyer in local court, was arrested on March 23 under stringent BNS sections 230 ‘giving or fabricating false evidence with intent to cause someone's conviction for a capital offence' -- carrying penalties including life imprisonment or even the death penalty if an innocent person is executed – and 55 ‘abetment of an offence punishable with death or imprisonment for life', among others.
Tauseef Ahmad, one of the lawyers representing Ali, told TOI, "We were aware that the bail will be rejected due to enormous pressure on the judiciary. Ali was summoned for questioning under lenient sections by police and then they framed stringent sections against him. He was supposed to tell the truth to the judicial commission. There is a threat to his life in jail... We're considering going to a higher court."
Saini said, "During investigation, police found that MP Barq, Sohail Iqbal and many others had played a key role in the violence. Their names will come forward during the investigation. Barq made multiple WhatsApp calls hours before the incident. He also made calls during the violence and ensured the gathering of anti-social elements near Jama Masjid."
Notably, Barq filed a petition in Allahabad high court to quash the case against him. The HC had reportedly granted him "temporary relief against arrest". There is also a mention of a "WhatsApp group named Sansad Sambhal", in which instructions were passed to the rioters, and that the group was deleted after the violence, police sources claimed.
On Nov 24, violence erupted in Sambhal during a court-directed survey of Shahi Jama Masjid, leaving five persons dead and many police personnel injured. Several FIRs were registered. According to police, over 80 people have been arrested so far.
Bareilly: The additional district judge (ADJ) court in Sambhal on Friday rejected the bail plea of Shahi Jama Masjid's ‘sadar' Zafar Ali in the 2024 violence case. The case diary presented by SIT in court reads: "Ali incited locals two days before the Nov 24 violence in the UP town and later held a press conference in which he shared incorrect information with the media, saying those killed during the unrest were shot by police."
Opposing Ali's bail, public prosecutors said he was in touch with Sambhal MP Zia-ur Rahman Barq, who was named in one of the FIRs as a "key accused for inciting violence". Barq recently received a notice from SIT to appear for questioning by April 8.
Public prosecutor Hari Om Saini said, "Ali's bail was rejected by the court of ADJ Nirbhay Narain Rai as sections against him were grave. He was in touch with suspicious people before the violence and incited individuals, which led to a large gathering. They attacked the police team, vandalised and set vehicles on fire..."
Saini said, "A judge (senior division) made Ali a member of the survey panel. The information about the second survey (of Shahi Jama Masjid on Nov 24) was kept confidential, and only six people, including Ali, were aware of this information. The onus of leaking the information is on Ali, and as per the police investigation, he is also the mastermind behind the violence."
Ali, the Shahi Jama Masjid committee president and also a senior lawyer in local court, was arrested on March 23 under stringent BNS sections 230 ‘giving or fabricating false evidence with intent to cause someone's conviction for a capital offence' -- carrying penalties including life imprisonment or even the death penalty if an innocent person is executed – and 55 ‘abetment of an offence punishable with death or imprisonment for life', among others.
Tauseef Ahmad, one of the lawyers representing Ali, told TOI, "We were aware that the bail will be rejected due to enormous pressure on the judiciary. Ali was summoned for questioning under lenient sections by police and then they framed stringent sections against him. He was supposed to tell the truth to the judicial commission. There is a threat to his life in jail... We're considering going to a higher court."
Saini said, "During investigation, police found that MP Barq, Sohail Iqbal and many others had played a key role in the violence. Their names will come forward during the investigation. Barq made multiple WhatsApp calls hours before the incident. He also made calls during the violence and ensured the gathering of anti-social elements near Jama Masjid."
Notably, Barq filed a petition in Allahabad high court to quash the case against him. The HC had reportedly granted him "temporary relief against arrest". There is also a mention of a "WhatsApp group named Sansad Sambhal", in which instructions were passed to the rioters, and that the group was deleted after the violence, police sources claimed.
On Nov 24, violence erupted in Sambhal during a court-directed survey of Shahi Jama Masjid, leaving five persons dead and many police personnel injured. Several FIRs were registered. According to police, over 80 people have been arrested so far.