The three-member judicial committee investigating the Sambhal violence has submitted its detailed report to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. The report, which spans 450 pages, is expected to shed light on the causes of the November 2024 unrest that left four people dead and several others injured.

Even before its official release, the report has triggered political and legal reactions. Senior advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, one of the petitioners in the Sambhal case, alleged that a foreign conspiracy was involved in orchestrating the violence. According to Jain, the unrest was a coordinated attempt to block the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) team from conducting a court-ordered survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid on November 19 and 24 last year.

Jain claimed that the attack on police personnel was pre-planned to eliminate the survey team, obstruct the court directive, and prevent any historical examination of the Mughal-era mosque. He further asserted that the Shahi Jama Masjid originally stood as a Harihar temple before being demolished by Mughal ruler Babar and later claimed as a mosque.

The judicial panel’s findings also reportedly highlight a sharp demographic shift in Sambhal over the decades. During Independence, the Hindu population constituted 45% while Muslims made up 55%. Currently, Hindus make up only 15% of the population compared to 85% Muslims.

Responding to the report’s observations, Jain said that Sambhal has witnessed dramatic demographic changes, forcing Hindus to live under fear and as “second-class citizens” in the region. He urged those defending secularism to see the ground reality in the city.