Kerala MPs barred from visiting UP’s Sambhal amid growing tensions over mosque survey
Lucknow: Five Members of Indian parliament (MPs) from Kerala, including senior leaders of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), were prevented from visiting the violence-hit city of Sambhal in Uttar Pradesh, where recent communal unrest has left several Muslims dead.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the MPs — PV Abdul Wahab, Harris Beeran, ET Mohammed Basheer, Navas Ghani, and AKA Abdul Samad — were barred from proceeding to the city despite their efforts to assess the volatile situation firsthand.
The MPs were on their way to Sambhal to evaluate the aftermath of a court-mandated survey of the Jamia Masjid in the city. However, their convoy was stopped by the police at the Chhijarsi toll plaza. Despite their insistence on exercising their democratic right to visit the area, the MPs were turned back by senior police and administrative officials, who denied them permission to enter. The MPs were traveling in two vehicles when they were stopped by police at the toll plaza. They stated that their visit was essential to understand the ground reality and to gauge the situation in the wake of the tragic events. However, the police enforced the restriction without providing a clear explanation.
The unrest in Sambhal began after a claim was made in a petition presented to the Civil Judge (Senior Division) Court on November 19, alleging that the Jamia Masjid was originally a Hindu temple. The court ordered an immediate survey of the mosque, which led to videography of the site on the same day. This triggered violent protests on November 24, culminating in police firing on Muslim demonstrators, which resulted in the deaths of at least six individuals.
The Kerala MPs condemned the police’s decision to block their visit. Speaking to the media, Abdul Wahab said, “We wanted to understand the ground reality and assess the conditions after such a tragic incident. Denying us entry only raises further questions about the government’s accountability.”
The violence in Sambhal has sparked widespread condemnation from opposition leaders, who have said that the BJP-led Uttar Pradesh government mishanded the situation. Swami Prasad Maurya, chief of the Rashtriya Shoshit Samaj Party, blamed the government for deliberately inflaming communal tensions, pointing to the provocative use of religious slogans during the mosque survey. Leader of Opposition Mata Prasad Pandey also criticized the UP administration, saying that it was biased against certain communities and that the police had resorted to illegal methods to suppress protests and dissent.
The refusal to allow the Kerala MPs to visit Sambhal only deepened concerns over the handling of the unrest, with many questioning the state government’s role in fueling division and unrest in the region.
