“Everyone had a chance to present their side in the court, or they could take it up in higher courts. But that was not done…instead such an act was done, which spoiled the atmosphere. No guilty would be spared of strict action,” he said.DIG Muniraj G said there were no untoward reports from anywhere in Sambhal on Tuesday.”Normalcy is being restored, shops are opening, there is no problem,” he said.Muniraj said the number of arrestees stood at 25 while investigations are on to identify violence suspects.Haji Ehtesham, a Peace Committee member and leader of the All India Traders’ Association, claimed the violence was instigated by outsiders, and what happened was deeply unfortunate.”We must move on and restore peace. I have been a part of the Peace Committee for years and had also helped resolve tensions in 2013. During the initial survey, I was part of the five-member team, and we cooperated fully with the process,” he said, appealing for calm.Principal Shiv Shankar Sharma of Saraswati Shishu Mandir noted that such incidents disturb the environment.”The survey was being conducted as per government orders, there shouldn’t have been any issue. However, the people of Sambhal will rebuild communal harmony and work together again,” Sharma said.Deepak Kumar, a trader, said Sambhal has always been a peaceful place.”I don’t understand what happened that day to cause such unrest. Incidents like these also lead to economic losses, but the situation is now normal. I’ve reopened my shop, and soon, Sambhal will return to how it was before. Many of my friends are from the Muslim community, and our relationships remain unchanged,” he stressed.Seema Arya, president of the Women’s Upliftment Committee, said, “The Muslim community should understand that the survey was conducted under court orders, and such extreme reactions were unnecessary. I have many friends from the Muslim community, but self-respect is paramount. Now, peace has been restored,” Arya added.Chanchal Verma, BJP ward 18 councillor, said the poor have suffered the most due to this conflict.”But we will all work together to take Sambhal forward again. The Hindu-Muslim unity here will once again set an example. People in this area have always been a model of communal harmony and will continue to be so.”I have strong ties with many Muslim families, we participate in each other’s events. Incidents like these have happened before, but now we must leave them behind and move forward together,” Verma said.Police have arrested 25 people so far and registered seven FIRs, naming the Samajwadi Party’s Sambhal MP Zia-ur-Rehman Barq, and Sohail Iqbal — son of the party’s local MLA Iqbal Mehmood — and 2,750 unidentified individuals as accused.Meanwhile, Sohail Iqbal said that he was not present at the site of the violence, and refuted the charges levelled against him.”I have never worked for something which vitiates the peace in Sambhal. We believe in spreading love and serving the people. What has happened is unfortunate, should not have happened. My name has been drawn in it even though I have nothing to do with it, nor did I make any hate speech,” Iqbal told PTI Videos.While a magisterial probe into the violence is ongoing, Superintendent of Police Krishna Kumar Vishnoi said on Monday that the situation was under control and emphasised that “strict action will be taken against those responsible for the unrest”.He had added that the police were analysing drone footage, CCTV camera recordings, and mobile videos to identify the suspects and apprehend them.On Monday, District Magistrate Rajendra Pensiya said that the survey was conducted under court orders.
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