Recent developments that have taken place in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, suggest that there has been a systematic attempt to drive the Hindus out of there. The chargesheet filed by the UP police in connection with the Sambhal violence clearly shows how Muslim gangs have the ability to operate from abroad and incite violence in Sambhal.
While the involvement of criminal gangs came to light following the Sambhal violence, another element that has cropped up is how this place has also become a breeding ground for jihadis. In all, Sambhal has become a lethal cocktail of both a crime syndicate and a land where jihad breeds.
When the seeds were sown
Sambhal has a bloody history and has witnessed one of the worst communal riots that this country has ever seen. It goes back to 1978 when horrific riots had broken out.
What began as a simmering soon turned into a communal riot in which 184 people died. This riot changed the demographic of Sambhal for decades. All through, there was a cover-up on the number of people who had died in the riots. The official figure that was maintained was 24. However, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath recently said that the number of people who died was 184.
The riots also led to a mass exodus of Hindus. Prior to the violence the population of Hindus was at 35 per cent in Sambhal. However, after the violence, it drastically dropped to 20 per cent, thus signalling that the Hindus had been forced to flee.
After the Hindus fled nearly 46 years back, the Shiv-Hanuman Mandir in Sambhal’s Khaggu Sarai area remained locked. However, recently, the Temple was re-opened, and this re-ignited the debate around the riots.
While Hindus faced the brunt, over the years, Muslim criminals and jihadis had made Sambhal their fiefdom. Like in most cases, communal riots were cited and used as a recruitment tool. Over the years, Dawood set up his network here. Further, Asim Umar, who hails from Sambhal, was handpicked by Al-Qaeda to head its Sub-Continent wing. Umar had recruited one Muhammad Usman to the Al-Qaeda. He, too, hails from Sambhal and is currently lodged in Pakistan.
The Intelligence Bureau says that Sambhal has several recruiters as there are many modules and sleeper cells that have been set up by Pakistan sponsored groups.
Over the years, the crime syndicate too thrived, and Dawood would handpick Muslim youth from Sambhal and use them for nefarious activities.
The crime syndicate
The 4,000-page chargesheet filed by the UP police following the Sambhal violence clearly draws a link to the riots and the Dawood-led syndicate. The police named a close Dawood aide and a Dubai-based International auto-lifter, Shariq Satha, as the mastermind. He is said to have orchestrated the riots with an intention of scaring the Hindus. He has been accused of rioting and arson, and the police said that he had close links with organised crimes and foreign funding.
The violence in Sambhal claimed 30 lives.
The police said that Satha’s involvement came to light following the arrest of two of his associates, Mulla Afroz and Mohammad Waris. Satha planned the unrest as part of a conspiracy to establish dominance in the region.
Further, the police have arrested one Ghulam on charges of smuggling foreign weapons. The police in the FIR also named MP Ziaur Rahman Bar, Sohail Iqbal, the son of MLA Iqbal Mahmood, and 37 others.
The police also found that there were unusual money transfers into Sambhal ahead of the riots. This, the police say, was sent by Satha to fuel the violence. This clearly indicates that the violence was not sporadic but pre-planned.
The international link to the violence came to light when the police seized Pakistan-made weapons following the riots. This raised questions about the external influence of violence.
Officials tell Organiser that the crime syndicate and the jihad network work in tandem. After all, both are controlled by the ISI. The job of the crime syndicate, which is mostly overseen by Dawood Ibrahim, is tasked with undertaking acts of violence and also aiding the jihadi elements with funding. Sambhal has become to the ISI what Darbhanga was to the Indian Mujahideen.
The agencies are keeping a close watch on Sambhal and the neighbouring areas as there are alerts that, following the investigation trouble, makers would be looking to incite another round of violence.
