Sambhal District Magistrate Rajender Pensiya on Thursday said that posters of those allegedly involved in violence that broke out on November 24 over a court-ordered survey of a mosque will be put up on public walls, PTI reported.

More than 400 persons accused of being involved in the violence have been identified by authorities and 32 have been arrested, Pensiya said, adding that the posters are being designed and will be put up soon.

On November 24, violence broke out in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal after a group of Muslims objected to a court-ordered survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid in Chandausi town.

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A trial court had ordered the survey in response to a suit claiming that the mosque had been built in 1526 by Mughal ruler Babar on the site of the “centuries-old Shri Hari Har Temple dedicated to Lord Kalki”.

Five persons were killed in the violence during the survey.

The Uttar Pradesh government on November 27 said that it will make those involved in the violence pay for the damage to public property and display their pictures on public walls. This was reiterated by Chief Minister Adityanath on Wednesday, The Indian Express reported.

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“The cost of repairing damage to public property caused by the troublemakers should be recovered from them,” Adityanath was quoted as saying during a meeting with officials. “Identify those responsible for creating unrest, put up their posters, seek public support, and conduct extensive search operations. No offender should escape.”

At an event in Ayodhya on Thursday, the chief minister drew parallels between the violence in Ayodhya, Sambhal and Bangladesh. “The nature and DNA of all three are the same," Adityanath was quoted as saying by the Hindustan Times.

In 2020, the Uttar Pradesh government had put up posters of individuals allegedly involved in vandalism during the protests against the contentious Citizen Amendment Act, before the Allahabad High Court forced them to be taken down, The Hindu reported.

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