Police gather evidence to establish Satha’s role in inciting Sambhal violence

LUCKNOW The police are collecting evidence to establish the role of Dubai-based gangster Shariq Satha as the main conspirator in inciting violence during the court ordered survey of Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal on November 24, 2024, said officials.

“After the arrest of his key aide Ghulam on February 20, we are getting evidence about Shariq Satha’s involvement in the violence. Besides information from Ghulam that he supplied firearms and ammunition to other gang members to kill people during the protest, the police have retrieved multiple digital evidences from Satha’s phone,” said ASP, North (Sambhal) Shirish Chandra. He said Satha’s wife had also been quizzed regarding his whereabouts.

During interrogation, Ghulam revealed that Satha interacted with him multiple times between November 20 and 23 and instructed him to arrange arms/ammunition and supply them to other gang members to kill protesting people so that the violence spreads to other parts of Sambhal and entire west region. Ghulam, along with Shariq Satha, is likely to be accused in the main case related to larger conspiracy behind Sambhal violence, said another police official.

He said two other members of Satha’s gang, Mullah Afroz and Mohd Waris, were arrested on January 17 and 25, respectively in connection with the murders of four people, who were killed after suffering bullet wounds during the violence, on January 17 and 25.

As per the police, Shariq Satha is a resident of Sambhal’s Deepa Sarai area and said to be operating his criminal network dealing in weapons as well as supplying stolen four-wheelers from Delhi and the nearby region to N-E states. He earlier had political patronage following which he could easily operate from Sambhal, but fled to Dubai in 2020 after police strictness since March 2017.

Twelve cases related to the November violence were registered at three police stations, including seven at Sambhal police station, four at Nakasha police station of Sambhal district and one at Pakbada police station of Moradabad. All these cases are being investigated by the SIT. Charge sheets were filed in six cases last week in which 215 people were accused while investigation is underway in the remaining six cases including the main case of violence conspiracy.

On November 19, the court of civil judge (senior division), Sambhal, ordered a survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid following a petition by Supreme Court lawyer Vishnu Shankar Jain. The court also appointed Ramesh Raghav as the advocate commissioner to carry out the survey. The advocate commissioner carried out an initial survey of the mosque and a second round of the survey began on November 24, sparking protests and violence.