Sambhal violence not communal but result of failure of state: Kashmir MP Ruhullah Mehdi

Srinagar, Dec 12 (PTI) Violence in Sambhal was not a Hindu-Muslim issue but a “failure” of the state, Lok Sabha Member Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi said on Thursday.

Mehdi said he came to the conclusion after his visit to Sambhal in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday and his interactions with the families of those killed in the Police firing there.

“While going to the Jama Masjid, which is unfortunately the site of the dispute, I interacted with the locals of the area,” Mehdi, the National Conference’s Lok Sabha MP from Srinagar said in a post on X.

He said most of the businesses (shops) and even houses in the area “were locked and people scared.”

“My understanding is that this issue is not a Hindu-Muslim issue as some sections might portray it. It is a particular ideology vs. Muslims. The violence that occurred in Sambhal was a failure of the State,” he said.

The Srinagar MP claimed people in Sambhal always lived in peace and harmony with each other.

“They have lived together peacefully for centuries now. I urge the administration to foil attempts to instigate people and deliver justice to all those who have been wronged in Sambhal,” Mehdi said.