Key Points:
The Sambhal Police declined to register an FIR against ASP Anuj Chaudhary and others in the November 24, 2024 Sambhal violence case. A Court in Sambhal issued the directive, and the SP said an appeal would be filed.
The CJM of Chandausi in Sambhal directed registration of FIR against 20 Police officials and asked the police to inform the court within seven days. The court noted discrepancies between documents submitted by the petitioner and the Police, that a cognisable offence may have been committed.
During the violence near the Jama Masjid site, Mohammad Alam sustained three bullet wounds in alleged police firing. His father Mohammad Yamin complained that police intentionally shot his son and later approached the court after no response from authorities.
A District Court in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh issued a directive to register FIR against several Police officials on January 9, 2026, relating to the November 24, 2024 Sambhal violence case. The Sambhal Police declined to register an FIR against the police personnels, including ASP Anuj Chaudhary and others. The Superintendent of Police (SP) of Sambhal district, Krishan Kumar Bishnoi said that the Sambhal police would be filing an appeal against the court’s order in the Allahabad High Court.
The court’s order comes more than a year after a 23-year-old biscuit seller, Mohammad Alam, was allegedly shot and injured in police firing during the November 2024 Sambhal violence. The police have denied the allegations, saying the bullet removed from the victim’s body was not fired by them. They also said that Alam is wanted in a violence-related case and that his name came up during the investigation.
The Chief Judicial Magistrate of Chandausi in Sambhal, Vibhanshu Sudheer, passed the aforementioned order, directing the registration of FIR against 20 Police officials, including the then circle officer Anuj Chaudhary, and the then inspector of Sambhal police station, Anuj Kumar Tomar. The police have also been asked to inform the court about the registration of the case within seven days.
The case traces back to two years ago when violence broke out in Sambhal near the Jama Masjid mosque site. A Court had ordered the archaeological inspection of the site, but violence broke out because rumours spread that excavation was happening around the mosque for inspection.
During the violence, Mohammad Alam got shot and sustained three bullet wounds. Mohammad Yamin, his father, filed a complaint later stating that the police intentionally shot his son, who was innocent and not involved in the violence. Md. Yamin said that his son, Alam, left home at around 8 am to sell pape biscuits (a local variety of toast) on his handcart. At about 8:45 am, he was near the Jama Masjid site where he noticed a large crowd, and as he moved closer to find out what was happening, Md. Yamin alleged that the Police personnel deployed at the site, including Anuj Chaudhary and Anuj Kumar Tomar, suddenly opened fire on the crowd.
Md. Yamin, while registering his complaint before the court, further stated that as a result of the police firing, Alam was shot and he had to flee the site, with others’ help. He further said that he had to take Alam to a hospital in Meerut for treatment, as nearby hospitals denied treating him. After Alam was taken care of, Md Yamin filed complaints of the matter to the Chief Minister on December 31, 2024, and then on the next day to the the Sambhal SP, DM, Moradabad DIG, the DGP, as well as the state human rights commission, against the local police.
Md Yamin further stated in his petition that after no response was heard from the authorities, he approached the court on February 4, 2025, and presented his case.
After hearing Md. Yamin’s plea, the Sambhal CJM ordered an inquiry into the police activities according to the Section 173(4) of the BNSS (Bhartiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita), which states that the Magistrate has the right to scrutinise the police’s report, if they believe that there is sufficient ground. Subsequently, the Magistrate has the power to order further investigation or take action as per law, even if the police do not register a case or say no offence is made out.
Accordingly, the court noted that several discrepancies were observed in the report filed by the police. It said that the medical documents and X-ray reports presented in the case by the petitioner differ from the relevant medical documents and doctors’ statements presented by the police, which raises a suspicion as to how the case was conducted, in relation to the police firing incident. The court therefore, mentioned that it was imperative that all the complete and correct documents be presented before it. Prima facie, the available material suggested that a cognisable offence may have been committed. Keeping this in mind, the court found it necessary and fair to order an investigation.
The Shahi Jama Masjib Mosque in Sambhal has been revolving around disputed claims that it was built by demolishing an ancient Shri Hari Temple, during the Mughal Emperor Babar’s reign. A group of Hindu plaintiffs led by lawyer Hari Shankar Jain and Hindu seer Mahant Rishiraj Giri filed a petition in the Sambhal civil court demanding a survey of the mosque premises. It is to be noted here that the Sambhal Shahi Jama Masjid Mosque is a protected monument under the ASI (Archaeological Survey of India), and is roughly around 500 years old.
Accordingly, the Sambhal Civil Court ordered an inspection of the site by the ASI. The initial survey was conducted peacefully, but the second survey saw disruptions and stone pelting by a crowd at the police, which allegedly led the police to open a fire. Tensions escalated when the Wazu Khana (ablution tank) of the mosque was being dried up, rumours spread that the mosque was being dug up. A large crowd had gathered outside the mosque, and they subsequently engaged in throwing stones, and a violence broke out claiming the lives of five people, and injuring several others, including the police.
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