Samajwadi MP Barq Incited Mob For 'Jama Masjid Ki Hifazat' During Friday Mosque Prayer: FIR Details On Sambhal Violence

Details of First Information Report (FIR) against Samajwadi Party (SP) member of Parliament (MP) Zia Ur Rehman Barq emerged on Tuesday (26 November) in the Sambhal mosque violence case.

The violence erupted on Sunday morning when a mob of thousands of people started pelting stones at a court-ordered survey team arrived to inspect the Jama Masjid in the Kot West area of the district.

Sambhal MP has been accused of making inflammatory remarks and inciting unrest before violence erupted. The FIR names Barq, Sohail Iqbal—the son of SP MLA Iqbal Mahmood—and 700-800 unidentified individuals.

It invokes sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Samhita relating to unlawful assembly, criminal force against public servants, endangering lives, promoting communal disharmony, and damage to private property.

The complaint alleges that two days before the incident, Rehman attended prayers at the mosque on Friday and made statements that disrupted communal harmony.

On the day of the violence, Sohail Iqbal and others reportedly incited the mob, claiming, “Zia Ur Rehman is with us” and urging the crowd to act. Barq's "Jama Masjid ki hifazat" (protection of Jama Masjid) remark mobilised the mob.

The FIR details how an armed mob gathered near the mosque to obstruct the court-ordered survey. Despite warnings from officials, the group raised slogans, hurled stones, and set police vehicles and private property ablaze.

Shops were torched, and a Circle Officer, Anuj Kumar Chaudhary, was shot in the leg during the chaos. Authorities are using drone and CCTV footage to identify those involved, with the possibility of invoking the stringent National Security Act (NSA).

The violence has claimed four lives and sparked political controversy, with Opposition leaders demanding Supreme Court intervention. The deceased were identified as Naeem, Bilal, Numan and Ayan.

Speaking to NDTV, Rehman denied the allegations and blamed the police for the violence. “A murder case should be registered against them (police personnel) because they fired with private arms. Muslims were targeted as part of a conspiracy,” he alleged.

SP national president Akhilesh Yadav also criticised the administration, calling the violence a “government-sponsored riot.” He defended Rehman, emphasizing that the MP was in Bengaluru when the violence took place.