Sambhal MP Barq denies role in violence, seeks HC protection

Meerut: Samajwadi MP Ziaur Rahman Barq has moved the Allahabad high court seeking protection from arrest after being named in a case related to violence in Sambhal on Nov 24 during a court-ordered Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) survey of the Mughal-era Shahi Jama Masjid, which left five people dead and over 20 police personnel injured. Barq filed a petition to quash the FIR registered against him, which alleges his involvement in the violence. His lawyer, Advocate Tausif Ahmed, said, "At the time of the incident, the MP was in Bengaluru. Despite this, an FIR was filed linking him to the violence, which is baseless and factually incorrect."The violence erupted when surveyors arrived to conduct a second inspection of the mosque. Protestors clashed with police, and Barq was subsequently accused of making inflammatory statements against the temple claims. Barq denied the accusations and said, "The charges against me are politically engineered by the BJP govt in Uttar Pradesh to target me unfairly."Barq also faces scrutiny in a separate case of alleged electricity theft. The power corporation department is investigating his house's electricity meter for tampering. His old meter was replaced for lab analysis to determine possible fraud. Barq, the Lok Sabha MP from Sambhal, maintained that the allegations are part of a larger campaign to malign him and his party.The survey of the Jama Masjid was initiated following claims that the mosque was built on the ruins of a Hindu temple allegedly demolished during the Mughal period. On Nov 29, the Supreme Court directed the Sambhal trial court to halt proceedings against the mosque until the Allahabad HC hears the masjid committee's challenge to the survey order.Meerut: Samajwadi MP Ziaur Rahman Barq has moved the Allahabad high court seeking protection from arrest after being named in a case related to violence in Sambhal on Nov 24 during a court-ordered Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) survey of the Mughal-era Shahi Jama Masjid, which left five people dead and over 20 police personnel injured. Barq filed a petition to quash the FIR registered against him, which alleges his involvement in the violence. His lawyer, Advocate Tausif Ahmed, said, "At the time of the incident, the MP was in Bengaluru. Despite this, an FIR was filed linking him to the violence, which is baseless and factually incorrect."The violence erupted when surveyors arrived to conduct a second inspection of the mosque. Protestors clashed with police, and Barq was subsequently accused of making inflammatory statements against the temple claims. Barq denied the accusations and said, "The charges against me are politically engineered by the BJP govt in Uttar Pradesh to target me unfairly."Barq also faces scrutiny in a separate case of alleged electricity theft. The power corporation department is investigating his house's electricity meter for tampering. His old meter was replaced for lab analysis to determine possible fraud. Barq, the Lok Sabha MP from Sambhal, maintained that the allegations are part of a larger campaign to malign him and his party.The survey of the Jama Masjid was initiated following claims that the mosque was built on the ruins of a Hindu temple allegedly demolished during the Mughal period. On Nov 29, the Supreme Court directed the Sambhal trial court to halt proceedings against the mosque until the Allahabad HC hears the masjid committee's challenge to the survey order.
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