The Uttar Pradesh government has decided to recover the cost of damages to public property from protestors involved in the Sambhal violence. The posters of stone pelters will also be displayed at prominent public locations.

In Sambhal’s Kot Garvi area, a court ordered survey of Shahi Jama Masjid prompted by a petition claiming a Harihar temple once stood at the site resulted in a massive violence, leaving four people dead and several injured. 

Reportedly, an official spokesperson of the Uttar Pradesh government said that the state is adopting a firm stance against the individuals involved in the Sambhal violence. The official stated that the posters of stone pelters and miscreants will be displayed publicly, and recovery of damages will be sought. Furthermore, a reward may also be announced for information leading to their arrest.

Notably, the government had earlier displayed posters of individuals accused of vandalism during the anti-CAA protests in 2020, putting them across key locations including the state capital.  Nonetheless, the posters were eventually taken down following a court directive.

Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal witnessed massive violence on Sunday when a large crowd assembled near a mosque and began chanting slogans as a survey team resumed its work. The situation intensified as protesters clashed with security forces, allegedly set vehicles ablaze and hurled stones.

Reports said that the Police have arrested 25 individuals and registered seven FIRs, naming Zia-ur-Rehman Barq, the Samajwadi Party MP from Sambhal, Sohail Iqbal, son of the party’s local MLA Iqbal Mehmood, together with more than 2,750 unidentified suspects.

Meanwhile, a magisterial inquiry is ongoing, and superintendent of police Krishna Kumar Vishnoi confirmed on Monday that the situation is now under control, ensuring that strict action will be taken against those responsible for the unrest.

The opposition parties have slammed the ruling BJP at both the Centre and in Uttar Pradesh following Sunday’s violence. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav accused the state government of staging a riot, while senior Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra claimed that the ruling party was fueling divisions between Hindus and Muslims.

The Congress and the BJP engaged in a major slugfest regarding the Adani bribery case after the Adani Group asserted that the billionaire has not been charged with corruption in the US indictment. The Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha were adjourned as it witnessed stormy scenes after multiple opposition leaders gave notice for discussion on the bribery case, suspending all other business.

Speaking to the media in the Parliament complex, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi repeated his call for Adani’s arrest, mentioning that the industrialist would never accept the charges mentioned by US prosecutors. He claimed that hundreds of people are being arrested on tiny charges. Mentioning that Adani has been indicted in the United States for thousands of crores, Rahul Gandhi demanded that he should be in jail. He further claimed that the government is protecting him.

Previous week, a New York court indicted Gautam Adani and his nephew for allegedly promising Rs 2,029 crore of bribes to state government officials in India for securing solar power contracts between 2020-2024. However, the Adani Group as well as former Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi have claimed Adani has not been named in key bribery or obstruction of justice charges in the indictment.

Reacting to former AG Mukul Rohatgi’s claim, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said the Modani ecosystem was attempting damage control through denial. The Congress leader asserted that the Modani ecosystem has let loose big legal cannons this morning, describing that the laughable attempt cannot dilute the seriousness of the charges levelled by US agencies.

Jairam Ramesh also called on the ED, CBI, and SEBI to investigate the Adani Group’s dealings rather than act as tools of a corrupt political-business nexus. He noted that this is the moment of reckoning for the institutions and the Indians who occupy those offices. He added that history will neither forgive nor forget this moment.

Slamming the Congress leader, Raebareli MP, BJP national spokesperson Tom Vadakkan accused the Congress of doing US investor George Soros’s bidding. He said that this is not an attack by the Congress but a Soros script being enacted in India. Speaking to a news publication, he said that the US administration has also realised that this is a case that has been funded by Soros, a script that is outside India to defeat India economically.

The Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the RSS of reinforcing barriers that obstruct the paths of Dalits, Adivasis and OBCs. 

Addressing the Samvidhan Rakshak Abhiyaan (Save Constitution Campaign) event at Talkatora Stadium in Delhi, the Senior Congress leader said that while the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) government made efforts to dismantle these barriers, it did not weaken the wall to the extent it should have.

Rahul Gandhi further said that he can guarantee that PM Modi has not read the Constitution. He continued that if the Prime Minister had read the Constitution, that he would not do what he does daily. The Leader of Opposition asserted that the Constitution is not merely a document but embodies India’s values of truth and non-violence, cultivated over thousands of years.

He also pointed out that the country’s whole system is pitted against Dalits, Adivasis, and backward class people, mentioning that a wall stands in the way of Dalits, Adivasis, and OBCs, and PM Modi along with the RSS are strengthening that wall by adding cement to it.

The Congress leader also reflected on the UPA’s initiatives, such as MGNREGA and the Right to Food, which he said aimed to weaken these barriers. The BJP are strengthening that wall by adding concrete, he continued.

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi also praised the ongoing caste census in Telangana as a significant step forward, promising that the Congress will do the same wherever it comes to power.

Additionally, Rahul Gandhi also said that many want to pursue careers in engineering or media, but systemic barriers often deny them opportunities. He added that today, there is hardly any representation of backward communities in media ownership or among anchors, which reflects the skewed opportunities available to them.

Describing the Constitution as a tool for justice, Rahul Gandhi called for a renewed focus on its values, which he said were being undermined. He mentioned that the entire system in this country is working against Dalits, Adivasis, and backward-class people, and it is their responsibility to restore the vision of the Constitution.