Mainstream WeeklyIn Ayodhya the God descended and departed. A temple was built at his birth place. It is claimed that this temple was demolished to build a mosque. The mosque was demolished by Hindutva forces and a temple has now been built. In the process Hindutva forces gained hegemony in the country and captured political power. In Sambhal the God is yet to descend. The same story is being repeated as the Hindutva brigade finds this as convenient and efficacious strategy to maintain their hold over power.
The speed with which a petition was filed in a Sambhal court on 19 November, 2024, questioning the religious status of Shahi Jama Masjid situated there, the court appointed an advocate commissioner and the district administration facilitated a survey the same day was unprecedented in the ecosystem of usually lethargic legal and administrative machinery in India. On the second day of survey, 24 November, a crowd had assembled outside the mosque which became suspicious as the SDM Vandana Mishra insisted on emptying of a water tank inside the mosque raising fears of excavation, escalating the crowd tempers. Police resorted to lathi charge resulting in stampede. Police then fired tear gas and subsequently used bullets which claimed the lives of Naeem, Bilal, Ayan, Kaif and Ruman. Alam, Waseem, Hasan and son of Wasiullah were injured with bullets, some of whom are in hospital and some in jail. Crowd then resorted to stone pelting. The police escorted the survey team safely to a Hindu area where slogans of