‘Sharp Drop In Hindu Population, Massacre Averted’: Commission Submits Sambhal Violence Report

The judicial commission report on last year’s Sambhal violence has triggered sharp political reactions, with a state minister voicing concern over what the panel described as a major demographic shift in the district.

The three-member commission on Thursday submitted its findings to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath regarding the 24 November 2024 clashes near the Shahi Jama Masjid, which left four people dead and several, including 29 policemen, injured. The unrest broke out during an Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)-monitored survey of the mosque, ordered by a district court after Hindu petitioners claimed the structure was built over a temple.

Commenting on the report, Minister of State for Secondary Education Gulab Devi said the findings were deeply troubling citing that the western Uttar Pradesh district saw sharp decline in Hindu population, reported PTI. 

“The investigation shows that the Hindu population in Sambhal dropped from 45 per cent at the time of Independence to 15 per cent now. Where did this 30 per cent go? Did they migrate? Did they convert? Or were they killed? The high court or our government will take action based on the facts mentioned in the report,” she said.

Conflicting Responses From Both Sides

While legal representatives from both Hindu and Muslim petitioners acknowledged the submission of the report, they urged caution until its contents were made public.

Advocate Gopal Sharma, representing the Hindu side, said he trusted the commission’s impartiality. “We are confident the panel prepared its report after examining evidence from both sides,” he noted.

However, Shakil Ahmed Warsi, representing the Shahi Jama Masjid, dismissed claims that the report highlighted a demographic crisis. “Populations keep increasing and decreasing. Hindus are still present in Sambhal. The panel’s mandate was to investigate the November 24 incident, not to determine religious history,” he said.

Zafar Ali, president of the mosque committee and one of those accused of instigating the violence, questioned how details of a “confidential” report had been leaked. “I will comment only after the report is officially released. Spreading rumours at this stage will only create further tension,” he added.

Key Findings of the Report

According to the report, quoting government sources, the commission’s report makes several explosive claims including that Hindus have been “consistently made the primary target in every riot since 1947,” including the November 2024 violence.

Uttar Pradesh Police were credited with preventing what the panel described as a potential “massacre,” saying many rioters were brought in from outside.

Longstanding Turk-Pathan tensions were cited as a factor, with disputes over the alleged replacement of the Harihar temple by the mosque inflamed by references to Babur’s legacy.

The report links radical groups, illegal arms trade, and drug networks to attempts to destabilise the region.

It notes a sharp demographic shift, with the Hindu population reportedly falling from 45 per cent at Independence to just 15 per cent today, while Muslims now account for 85 per cent.

The panel also traced Sambhal’s troubled communal history to a 1953 Shia-Sunni clash, followed by major riots in 1956, 1959, 1962 — when Jan Sangh MLA Mahesh Gupta was stabbed — 1966, and 1976, when a dispute over a mosque committee and the murder of a maulvi triggered widespread violence.