Akhilesh questions rationale behind second survey of Sambhal mosque

Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday raised concerns over the recent developments in Sambhal, where a survey of a mosque led to communal tensions. Addressing the issue in Ambedkar Nagar district, Yadav questioned the motives behind the incident, asserting that it was not a spontaneous riot, but an orchestrated event.
Yadav pointed out the involvement of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers during the survey, asking, “Why were BJP workers seen chanting slogans with the survey team? Yet, no legal action was taken against them by the administration.”
Yadav recalled the events leading to the controversy, stating, “On November 19, the court issued an order for the mosque survey. During the first survey, neither members of the Muslim community nor the Sambhal residents raised any objections. I am perplexed about the rationale behind conducting a subsequent survey.”
“If another survey was deemed necessary, the local administration should have consulted and engaged with the responsible stakeholders beforehand, yet they failed to initiate any dialogue with the concerned authorities,” he added.
Accusing the administration of turning a blind eye to the situation, Yadav said, “If BJP workers were not part of the survey team, why is the administration hiding this reality? The people accompanying the survey team were openly raising slogans. Was the administration’s negligence responsible for escalating the situation, leading to deaths?”
“I hope the Supreme Court will take suo motu cognisance of these incidents and investigate why such a conspiracy was allowed to unfold,” he said.