The Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday suspended two officials at the Moradabad jail after a delegation from the Opposition Samajwadi Party was allowed to meet some of the 30 persons who have been arrested for their alleged role in the recent violence in Sambhal, The Indian Express reported.
The suspended officials are Jailer Vikram Yadav and his deputy Praveen Singh, the Hindustan Times quoted Director General (Prison Administration and Reform Services) PV Ramasastry as saying.
The state prison department also recommended action against Pawan Pratap Singh, who is the senior superintendent of Moradabad jail, in a letter to the Chief Minister Adityanath-led government.
Clashes erupted in Sambhal on November 24 after a group protested against a court-ordered survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid in Chandausi, which some petitioners claim was built on the site of a Hindu temple. Five persons were killed in the violence during the survey.
Thirty persons, including women, were arrested in connection with the violence, according to The Indian Express. Samajwadi Party MP Zia ur Rahman Barq and more than 700 others also faced charges related to the unrest.
On Monday, a delegation of leaders from the Samajwadi Party, including former MP ST Hasan, MLAs Nawab Jan Khan and Chaudhary Samarpal Singh, and party leaders Mudassir Khan and Gulzar Ahmed, visited those who have been arrested in the matter.
“Many individuals arrested after the Sambhal violence are imprisoned here,” Hasan said, The Indian Express reported. “During such incidents, innocent bystanders often get caught up in the situation. We met them to offer legal support and ensure justice for those who have been falsely booked.”
The delegation also claimed that those arrested “showed the marks of police brutality on their bodies”.
Following the visit, the district administration in Sambhal sent a letter to the state government about the “unauthorised” meeting. Subsequently, the state prison department ordered a report from the Moradabad District Magistrate Anuj Singh.
The suspensions were issued to Vikram Yadav and Praveen Singh after the report was submitted, according to The Indian Express. As per the report, the Samajwadi Party team was permitted to meet the inmates without being issued visitors’ slips, as mandated by the jail manual.
“It was found that the jail authorities allowed unauthorised persons to enter along with the public representative,” The Indian Express quoted an unidentified prison official as saying. “The procedure was also not followed for the entry of a public representative.”
Pawan Pratap Singh, however, claimed that he had not received any instructions from the state government prohibiting anyone from meeting those arrested in connection with the violence.
“MPs and legislators are usually allowed to meet inmates without slips, and I followed it,” The Indian Express quoted him as saying.
On Wednesday, Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were stopped at Delhi’s Ghazipur border while attempting to visit Sambhal. Authorities cited prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and concerns over law and order.
“It is my constitutional right to meet the victims,” Rahul Gandhi said. “This is the new India, an India ending [BR] Ambedkar’s Constitution.”
The district administration in Sambhal had earlier extended restrictions until December 31, prohibiting political leaders and outsiders from entering the area.
The Sambhal court has directed the survey team to submit its findings on the mosque by December 9, with the next hearing scheduled for January 8.
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