Rahul, Priyanka meet Sambhal violence victims’ families in Delhi

BAREILLY: Families of five people who died in the Sambhal violence on Nov 24 met Leader of Opposition in the Parliament and Rae Bareilly MP Rahul Gandhi and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in New Delhi on Tuesday. They were brought to Rahu;’s residence after his attempted to visit the families in Sambhal but was stopped at the Ghazipur border due to restrictions imposed by the district magistrate.

Rahul and Priyanka met the families at 10 Janpath, expressing their support and offering assurances. Congress sources said party leaders Rizwan Qureshi, Sachin Chaudhary, and Pradeep Narwal personally brought the victims’ families to Delhi using their private vehicles after the state govt prevented the leaders from visiting Sambhal.

Chaudhary told TOI, “Rahul Gandhi has assured the families that Congress is with them in their fight for justice. Nafeesa, the mother of Ayaan, couldn’t control her tears while narrating her ordeal, and Priyanka consoled her and hugged her.”

The families of the other four victims alleged that their loved ones were killed in police firing. Based on their complaints, FIRs were filed against unidentified individuals. Autopsy reports indicated the victims were shot with .315-bore bullets fired from a country-made pistol.

The violence in Sambhal occurred during the second survey of the Mughal-era Shahi Jama Masjid. As a survey team arrived to conduct the survey, tensions escalated into gunfire and stone-pelting. Five people lost their lives in the violence, with four deaths officially recorded. The family of one victim, Mohd Kaif, buried his body without filing a police complaint.

The Uttar Pradesh government set up a three-member judicial commission on November 28 to investigate the violence. Headed by retired Allahabad high court judge Devendra Kumar Arora, the panel also includes former IAS officer Amit Mohan Prasad and retired IPS officer Arvind Kumar Jain. The commission is expected to submit its report in two months.

Courtesy : TOI

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