Woman accused in Sambhal violence walks free

Farhana, an accused in the Sambhal violence of November 24, 2024, walked out of Moradabad jail, a free woman, on Thursday, after the court of Sambhal chief judicial magistrate (CJM) ordered her release on Wednesday. She has spent the last 87 days in prison, confirmed prosecution officials on Thursday.

Farzana was among the 79 people, including four women, arrested in connection with the violence in Sambhal town.

The officials said the court allowed the release of the woman under provision of section 189 of Bhartiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), which was earlier section 169 of old Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), for release of the accused when police could not find any evidence or reasons behind suspecting involvement in the crime.

Defence counsel Zaki Anwar, said the court of CJM Aditya Singh granted her bail after an inspector Lokendra Kumar Tyagi of Special Investigation Team (SIT), which was formed to investigate the violence conspiracy, gave an application in court under provisions of 189 BNSS to release Farhana as no evidence of her involvement in the violence. He said Farhana along with two other women accused, Rukaiya and Nazrana, were arrested for pelting stones on police personnel during the violent protest during the second round of survey of a Mughal-era-mosque Shahi Jama Masjid on November 24, 2024.

A police official associated with the SIT said Tyagi took over the investigation on November 30, 2024, till then 26 people out of 34 named accused in one of the FIRs related to the violence were arrested and sent to Moradabad jail in judicial custody.

He said Tyagi, who was the investigation officer of the case, had filed the chargesheet against 25 other accused arrested in the matter after finding appropriate evidence against them while he filed the application for the release of Farhana after finding no evidence against her.

Farhana was accused in one of the 12 FIRs related to Sambhal violence under charges of rioting, unlawful assembly, attempt to murder, voluntarily causing hurt to public servant, use of criminal force against public servant and disobedience of order.