Shahi Jama Masjid Sadar chief and Shahi Mosque Committee chief Zafar Ali was on Sunday taken into custody by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Uttar Pradesh Police in connection with the violence in Sambhal.
Police said Zafar Ali was taken into custody to record statement in the 2024 violence case. However, Ali's brother and lawyer Mohammad Tahir alleged that the SIT will arrest the Shahi Jama Masjid Sadar chief.
Security has been beefed up in Sambhal as police anticipate protests in the area.
The violence erupted on November 24 following a court-ordered survey by te Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) at the Mughal-era mosque as a petition claimed that it was the site of an ancient Hindu temple known as the Harihar Temple. Ali was reportedly the first person to receive information about the survey following which a crowd gathered at the mosque premises.
The SIT chargesheet on six out the 12 Sambhal violence cases is 4,000 pages long. Among the main accused are Samajwadi Party MP Ziaur Rahman Barq who allegedly incited a mob for political gains. SP MLA Iqbal Mehmood's son Sohail Iqbal was also named in the chargesheet.
There are 159 accused in the case in total. The chargesheet claims that weapons seized by the SIT were originally from the UK, the USA, Germany and Czech Republic.
Four people were killed in the November 24 violence, while several other were wounded, including police personnel.
The latest development comes two days after the ASI supervised the whitewashing work at the Shahi mosque. The renovation process was mandated by the Allahabad High Court on March 12. The mosque committee had earlier sought permission for whitewashing, additional lighting etc at the Shahi Masjid.