Jammu and Kashmir National Conference Lok Sabha MP Aga Ruhullah Mehdi said Sambhal violence was not a mere incident of communal violence but rather a “collective state failure.”
Mehdi said his conclusion is based on the realities he witnessed during his visit to Sambhal in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday and his interactions with the families of those killed in the police actions 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 added that the majority of the businesses (shops) and even houses in the area “were locked and people anxious.”
“My view of this situation 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,” Mehdi said.
Ruhullah, during his interaction, told reporters that 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.
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