Named in FIR, Sambhal MP and MLA’s son claim innocence

New Delhi, Nov 25 (IANS) Facing FIRs over the deadly violence in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal city, Samajwadi Party MP Zia Ur Rehman Barq and his party legislator Iqbal Mehmood’s son Nawab Suhail Iqbal on Monday denied any wrongdoing and blamed the lax administration and police for the death of four people.

MP Zia Ur Rehman Barq told IANS, “I have been booked in a false case by police who want to hide their own failure.”

MP Barq and Iqbal were named in the seven FIRs registered by Uttar Pradesh Police against 400 people for the flare-up on Sunday.

Four persons were killed and dozens, including 22 policemen, injured during protests against a court-ordered survey of the Mughal-era Shahi Jama Masjid in connection with a petition claiming that it was built after razing a Hindu temple in 1529.

The MP claimed innocence and said, “I was not even in Sambhal when the violence took place. I was attending a meeting of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board in Bangalore.”

Barq also demanded the registration of cases against policemen who shot dead innocent youths.

Denying that he made any inflammatory speeches, he said he had prevented things from turning violent when an earlier attempt was made to carry out a survey.

SP legislator Iqbal Mehmood’s son Nawab Suhail Iqbal, who has also been booked by the police over Sunday’s incident, claimed innocence. “Show me any video or photo to prove that I was there at the site of violence,” he told IANS, claiming that he had remained at home as per the direction of the administration.

He said he had even tried to convince people to cooperate with the survey team.

Confirming that he had gone towards the mosque in the morning, he said he did so to convey his father’s message to people that they should cooperate with the survey team as it had been sent by a court.

The legislator’s son also said that he never gave a speech to incite communal hatred.

Advocate Zafar Ali, Jama Masjid, Sambhal, also claimed that neither the SP MP nor the MLA’s son was present near the area where trouble broke out on the previous day. “The SDM and police officials are to be blamed for the killing of four people.”

He claimed he was present in the mosque when the survey was conducted and the team did not find anything objectionable.

Police sources said at least 25 people, including two women, have been detained or arrested for the Sunday violence in which vehicles were torched and stones pelted, forcing police to use tear gas and cane-charge to counter the protestors.

SP MP Awadhesh Prasad expressed grief over the incident, calling it "heartbreaking and painful" while accusing the BJP of provoking unrest to divert attention from electoral issues.

He also defended the booked SP MP Zia Ur Rehman Barq, claiming that Barq was not present at the scene during the violence. "The MP was with us at the time. This is a baseless case aimed at silencing him in Parliament," Prasad said.

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