On 24 November 2024, during a second court-ordered survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, crowds clashed with police and at least four Muslim men were shot dead. Families say police fired; police and a state judicial commission say the bullets came from the crowd. The Supreme Court froze the trial-court suit five days later, and as of October 2026 its verdict on the survey is reserved.
Key takeaways
- On 19 November 2024 a Sambhal civil judge ordered a survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid on the same day a suit claimed it stood on the site of a Harihar temple. The first survey that evening passed peacefully.
- A second survey on 24 November led to stone-pelting, arson and gunfire. At least four Muslim men died of gunshot wounds; some outlets put the toll at five.
- Families and the mosque committee head said police fired on the crowd. Police said the dead were hit by country-made weapons, and the state judicial commission, citing post-mortem and ballistic reports, found that no death was caused by police firing.
- Police charged Samajwadi Party MP Zia ur Rehman Barq and 22 others; the Allahabad High Court stayed proceedings against him in August 2025. Mosque committee president Zafar Ali was arrested in March 2025 and granted bail in July 2025.
Background: the suit and the first survey
On 19 November 2024, eight plaintiffs filed a suit in the court of the civil judge (senior division) in Chandausi, Sambhal. It claimed the mosque had been built in 1526 by the Mughal ruler Babar on the site of the "centuries-old Shri Hari Har Temple dedicated to Lord Kalki" Scroll. The lead plaintiff was Mahant Rishiraj Giri of the local Kaila Devi temple, and the suit was filed by advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain; advocate Hari Shankar Jain was among the plaintiffs The Quint Scroll.
The same day, Civil Judge Aditya Singh passed an ex-parte order for a survey by an advocate commissioner, with a report due by 29 November PTI via DT Next. The first survey took place within hours and passed without incident Scroll. Mosque committee chairman Zafar Ali said the order was issued in a hurry, without giving Muslims a chance to appeal Scroll.
The mosque side says there is no evidence the mosque replaced a temple Deccan Herald. Critics, including Indian Union Muslim League MP Muhammed Basheer, argued the survey went against the Places of Worship Act, 1991, which freezes the religious character of places of worship as of 15 August 1947 Al Jazeera.
Timeline
Suit filed, survey ordered and held
The court admitted the suit and ordered a survey, which was carried out the same day PTI via DT Next.
Friday prayers
Muslims gathered for Friday prayers in unusually large numbers amid tight security; nothing untoward happened Scroll.
Second survey notified
Zafar Ali said the SDM and circle officer told him late on Saturday that a second survey would be held next morning, and that he did not give a no-objection The Quint.
Second survey and clashes
The survey began soon after morning prayers. A crowd gathered, and the day ended in stone-pelting, burning vehicles and gunfire Scroll. An FIR by a deputy collector puts the arrival of an armed crowd of 800-900 at about 9:10 am The Quint.
Curbs imposed
The district magistrate barred outsiders, social organisations and public representatives from entering without permission until 30 November, under Section 163 of the BNSS. Schools were shut and internet services suspended Business Today Al Jazeera.
Judicial commission formed
A three-member panel headed by retired High Court judge Devendra Kumar Arora was set up, with two months to report IANS.
Supreme Court halts the suit
The court told the civil judge not to proceed and ordered the survey report sealed PTI via DT Next.
Rahul Gandhi stopped
Police stopped Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra at the Ghazipur border. Prohibitory orders in Sambhal had been extended to 31 December PTI via DT Next.
The deaths and injuries
Scroll named the dead as Naeem Ghazi, Mohammad Ayan, Bilal and Kaif, all of whom died of gunshot wounds Scroll. Al Jazeera, citing local media, named Naeem, Bilal and Noman, and said a 19-year-old later died Al Jazeera. PTI and the judicial commission count four deaths; The Quint reported a fifth death two days later, and Scroll gives five The Quint Scroll.
Police injury counts rose as reports came in: 16 officers "seriously injured" on the first day, per police quoted by Al Jazeera, then 29, per PTI Al Jazeera PTI via ThePrint. The judicial commission recorded 28, seven of them with bullet injuries ThePrint.
Who fired: both accounts
Families' and mosque committee's account
Families and local residents said police opened fire on the crowd Claim · Families Scroll. Zafar Ali said the crowd grew anxious when water was drained from the mosque's tank on the SDM's insistence, sparking a rumour that the mosque was being dug up. He said he saw police fire and heard senior officers discuss opening fire The Quint. Mohammad Ayan's brother said Ayan told him before dying that he was shot as he faced a team of policemen. A Sambhal advocate asked police to show the ballistics report Scroll.
Police and government account
Moradabad Divisional Commissioner Aunjaneya Kumar Singh said 2,000-3,000 people gathered and threw stones, a group set vehicles on fire and fired, and the police PRO was shot in the foot. He said police used only tear gas and plastic bullets Government's position The Quint. He said post-mortems found the dead were hit by country-made guns The Quint. Police FIRs say the crowd snatched a 9mm pistol and ammunition, and that police fired tear gas and rubber bullets "in self-defence" The Quint.
A video purportedly showing a policeman firing a gun circulated after the violence; Scroll said it could not verify it Unverified Scroll.
FIRs, arrests and the charges
By 25 November police had arrested at least 25 people and filed complaints against some 2,500, including Sambhal's Samajwadi Party MP Zia ur Rehman Barq, accused of inciting the mob Al Jazeera. Suhail Iqbal, son of SP MLA Iqbal Mahmood, was also named The Quint. Barq said he was in Bengaluru at the time and called the case "a conspiracy by the police and administration" Scroll.
Twelve FIRs were filed and a Special Investigation Team formed. On 3 January 2025 the Allahabad High Court stayed Barq's arrest but refused to quash the FIR Tribune. Zafar Ali, not named in the FIR, was arrested on 23 March 2025 and held in Moradabad jail; Justice Sameer Jain granted him bail in July 2025 PTI via Deccan Herald.
In June 2025 police chargesheeted Barq and 22 others in the special MP/MLA court, saying 92 people had been sent to judicial custody. SP Krishan Kumar Bishnoi said the chargesheet details late-night conversations between Barq and Zafar Ali Scroll. Suhail Iqbal was dropped from the final chargesheet ETV Bharat. On 8 August 2025 the High Court stayed further proceedings against Barq PTI via Deccan Herald.
The only court order so far against police officers came from a magistrate. On 9 January 2026 Chief Judicial Magistrate Vibhanshu Sudheer ordered an FIR against then circle officer Anuj Chaudhary, Inspector Anuj Tomar and others, on a plea by the father of Alam, a man allegedly shot by police Claim · Alam's family. Sudheer was transferred on 20 January, and on 10 February the High Court stayed his order Scroll.
The courts and the mosque suit
On 29 November 2024 a bench of Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar ordered that the civil judge "will not proceed with the matter" until the mosque committee's challenge was listed in the High Court, and that the survey report "will be kept in a sealed cover" PTI via DT Next.
We don't want anything to happen...we have to be absolutely, totally neutral and ensure nothing wrong is done.
Supreme Court bench, 29 Nov 2024, as quoted by LiveLaw via Scroll
On 19 May 2025 the Allahabad High Court dismissed the committee's plea, holding the suit "not prima facie barred" by the 1991 Act because the plaintiffs sought access to a protected monument PTI via DT Next. The Supreme Court ordered status quo in August 2025 ETV Bharat, and reserved its verdict after hearing all sides in September 2026 ANI via WebIndia123. In July 2026 the Chandausi court adjourned the suit because of the stay; mediation had failed PTI via ThePrint.
The judicial commission's report
The panel submitted its report to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on 28 August 2025 News Arena. Adityanath said it revealed "how a conspiracy for riot unfolded" PTI via Deccan Herald. It was tabled in the Assembly on 5 August 2026 ThePrint.
The report calls the violence a "pre-planned conspiracy" and cites alleged roles of Barq, Suhail Iqbal, Zafar Ali and other committee office-bearers. Citing post-mortem and ballistic reports, it concluded that none of the deaths was caused by police firing, and it praised the police response as restrained Documented ThePrint Free Press Journal. Barq said the violence was pre-planned, but by the police administration and the government, not the public Madhyamam.
Outcome and what is pending
- Deaths: at least four men shot dead; who fired remains disputed between families and police, and the state commission backed the police.
- Arrests: 92 sent to judicial custody by June 2025, per police; Zafar Ali on bail since July 2025.
- Barq case: chargesheeted with 22 others; High Court stay on proceedings since August 2025.
- FIR against police: ordered in January 2026, stayed by the High Court in February 2026.
- Mosque suit: frozen in the trial court; Supreme Court verdict on the survey reserved in September 2026.
Questions people ask
What happened in Sambhal on 24 November 2024?
A second court-ordered survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid drew a crowd that clashed with police. Stones were thrown, vehicles burned and shots fired. At least four Muslim men died of gunshot wounds and police reported 28 to 29 personnel injured.
Did police fire in Sambhal?
Families and the mosque committee head say they did. Police say they used tear gas and rubber bullets and the dead were hit by country-made weapons. The state judicial commission, citing ballistic reports, found that no death was caused by police firing.
Was MP Zia ur Rehman Barq charged?
Yes. Police chargesheeted him and 22 others in June 2025, alleging incitement. He denies it and says he was in Bengaluru. The Allahabad High Court stayed proceedings against him in August 2025.
What did the Supreme Court order?
On 29 November 2024 it halted the trial court and ordered the survey report sealed. In September 2026 it reserved its verdict on the mosque committee's challenge to the survey.
Sources
- Al Jazeera: Arrests after Muslims killed in mosque survey violence in India's Sambhal, 25 Nov 2024
- Business Today: Sambhal riots, 4 dead, internet shutdown, 25 Nov 2024
- The Quint: Sambhal firing, FIRs lodged but locals blame officials, 26 Nov 2024
- Scroll: How a court order sparked a deadly dispute over a mosque, 27 Nov 2024
- Scroll: Supreme Court asks Sambhal court to defer hearing mosque survey case, 29 Nov 2024
- PTI via DT Next: SC halts trial court proceedings in Sambhal mosque dispute, 29 Nov 2024
- IANS: Judicial commission team arrives in Sambhal, 1 Dec 2024
- PTI via DT Next: Rahul Gandhi stopped at Ghazipur border on way to Sambhal, 4 Dec 2024
- Tribune: HC stays arrest of SP MP Barq in Sambhal violence case, 3 Jan 2025
- PTI via DT Next: Allahabad HC junks Masjid committee plea against survey, 19 May 2025
- Scroll: Chargesheet filed against SP MP Zia Ur Rehman Barq, 22 others, 20 Jun 2025
- PTI via Deccan Herald: Allahabad High Court grants bail to Zafar Ali, 25 Jul 2025
- PTI via Deccan Herald: SP MP Zia ur Rahman Barq gets HC relief, 8 Aug 2025
- ETV Bharat: Allahabad HC grants interim relief to MP Barq, 8 Aug 2025
- News Arena: Judicial panel submits Sambhal violence report to UP CM, 28 Aug 2025
- Deccan Herald: Panel report submitted to UP CM, 28 Aug 2025
- PTI via Deccan Herald: Conspiracy for riots unfolded in Sambhal, says CM, 29 Aug 2025
- ETV Bharat: Supreme Court extends the status quo, 1 Sept 2025
- Scroll: Allahabad HC stays order directing FIR against police officers, 10 Feb 2026
- PTI via ThePrint: Sambhal temple-mosque row, court postpones hearing to August 25, 21 Jul 2026
- ThePrint: 2024 Sambhal violence was pre-planned conspiracy, says judicial panel, 5 Aug 2026
- Free Press Journal: Judicial commission report on Sambhal, 5 Aug 2026
- Madhyamam: Sambhal judicial panel findings and reactions, 6 Aug 2026
- ANI via WebIndia123: SC reserves verdict on Masjid Committee's plea against survey, 25 Sept 2026