The Uttar Pradesh government's judicial commission probing the 2024 Sambhal violence has concluded that the clashes were part of a pre-planned conspiracy. The report names several individuals, including MP Zia-ur-Rehman Barq and Suhel Iqbal, the son of MLA Iqbal Mahmood, for their alleged roles in the incident. The commission submitted its findings to the state government last year, and the report was tabled in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly on Wednesday.

Reacting to the development, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya said, "The report was tabled in the House today will certainly reach the people... It will expose how, under the guise of riots, Hindus were killed and how the Congress and the Samajwadi Party used to protect rioters."

The violence took place on November 24, 2024, during a court-ordered survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal. Four people lost their lives in the clashes, while many others suffered injuries. A local court had ordered the survey after a petition claimed that a Hindu temple existed beneath the Mughal-era mosque. Similar legal disputes are also underway in Varanasi and Mathura.

The survey raised concerns among some local residents that the mosque could face demolition, similar to the developments in the Ayodhya Ram Temple case. A large number of people gathered near the mosque to stop the survey, which was scheduled to be carried out by the Archaeological Survey of India.

The violence left 28 police personnel injured. Seven officers suffered gunshot wounds. Rioters also tried to loot police weapons and other equipment during the clashes.

Following the incident, the Uttar Pradesh government formed a three-member judicial commission to investigate the violence. Retired Allahabad High Court judge Justice Devendra Kumar Arora headed the panel. Retired IAS officer Amit Mohan Prasad and retired IPS officer Arvind Kumar Jain served as its members.

The commission examined whether the violence happened suddenly or followed a planned conspiracy. It also looked into the circumstances that led to the clashes and suggested measures to prevent such incidents in the future.

During the investigation, officials recovered Pakistan-made bullets from the site of the violence. This discovery became a major part of the inquiry and added a new direction to the investigation.

According to the commission's final report, misinformation about the court-ordered survey spread within the Muslim community before the violence. The report also stated that the bullets responsible for the deaths of the four victims did not come from police weapons.

The 450-page report, submitted to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath last year, highlighted a significant demographic shift in Sambhal. It also pointed to an alleged plot to target Hindus during the violence. The commission further referred to the involvement of radical groups and people who had come from outside the town to participate in the unrest.

The report praised the district administration and the police for their handling of the situation. It described their response as effective and restrained despite the scale of the violence and the attacks on security personnel.

The commission also recommended steps to prevent similar incidents in the future. It stressed the need to respect court orders and follow the rule of law. It said strict adherence to legal procedures would help maintain peace and avoid such clashes.

Reacting to the findings, BJP Rajya Sabha MP Manan Kumar Mishra said, "The government must take the strictest possible action based on the findings of the investigation, and I am confident that it will do so."

He further said, "Their involvement points to an act of outright treason aimed at spreading anarchy, dividing society, and creating an atmosphere of unrest; this is a grave instance of crime and terrorism, and therefore, such individuals deserve the severest punishment."

The judicial commission's report now places the focus on the state's next course of action. With the findings officially presented in the Assembly, the government is expected to examine the recommendations and decide the legal action against those named in the investigation.