Muslim clerics in Sambhal reject judicial commission report, call it misleading

Sambhal,UPDATED: Aug 29, 2025 16:29 IST

Several Muslim clerics in Sambhal expressed dissatisfaction with the judicial commission’s report on the district, rejecting its findings after Friday prayers. They alleged that the government was presenting the report in a misleading manner.

The clerics said that the report’s observations on Hindu-Muslim relations did not reflect ground realities. They also questioned the accuracy of the demographic data, particularly the claim that Muslims make up as much as 85 percent of Sambhal’s population. “There has been no major development or rise in employment here, so the Muslim population has neither increased nor decreased,” one of them said.

The judicial commission report, submitted to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, has raised concerns among state security agencies. Spanning over 450 pages, the probe reportedly highlights a demographic shift in Sambhal — with the Hindu population said to have declined from 45 percent in 1947 to 15 percent at present, allegedly due to riots and appeasement politics.

The report further claims that Sambhal has become a hub of extremist activity, pointing to alleged local-level penetration by outfits linked to Al-Qaeda and Ghazwa-e-Hind, with purported international connections stretching from Pakistan to the United States. According to the findings, individuals associated with these groups were allegedly conspiring to reduce the Hindu population and spread terror in the region.

The state home department is preparing fresh security measures and counter-terror strategies based on the report’s recommendations.

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