NEW DELHI: A Sambhal court will hear the bail plea in the mosque protest case on Thursday after the president of the Shahi Jama Masjid Management Committee, Zafar Ali, was arrested on Sunday on charges of “inciting violence.”
Zafar Ali’s arrest took place months after the unrest in Sambhal over a court-sponsored survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid.
Ali was arrested in connection with a criminal conspiracy for November 24 violence in the city, which left four people dead and several injured.
The police have accused Ali of inciting rioters and fabricating evidence to cause wrongful conviction, among other charges.
Following Ali's arrest, heavy security was deployed around Shahi Jama Masjid, with Rapid Action Force (RAF) and Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) personnel stationed in the area.
The administration is monitoring the city using CCTV and drone surveillance to maintain law and order.
Ali was arrested under multiple penal provisions, including rioting, obstructing public servants, endangering public safety, and causing property damage.
His arrest is linked to one of the 12 FIRs registered against 159 individuals following the Sambhal riots.
According to police sources, Ali played a key role in planning the violence, which erupted after he was informed about a proposed survey of the historical mosque by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). His role in inciting locals to oppose the survey, which was abruptly halted on November 19, 2024, is also under investigation.
During the violence, rioters allegedly used illegal foreign-made firearms, and incidents of gunfire, stone-pelting, and arson were reported in Nakhasa Tiraha, Kotgarvi, and Hindupura Kheda.
In the aftermath of the riots, several families fled the area, and around 300 properties remain locked.
The police suspect that panic selling of properties occurred due to rumours of demolition, and individuals with criminal backgrounds took advantage of the situation to seize properties.