LUCKNOW: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Uttar Pradesh Police has filed a 4,000-page charge sheet in six of the 12 cases related to the November 24 violence in Sambhal. The unrest erupted during the Archaeological Survey of India’s (ASI) survey of the Mughal-era Jama Masjid, following a local court order. The charge sheet, filed on Thursday, names a Dubai-based international auto-lifter, Shariq Satha, as the mastermind behind the violence. The accused face charges of rioting, arson, and firing, with investigations tracing links to organised crime and foreign funding. The violence led to the deaths of four people and left several others, including police personnel, injured. Among the arrested individuals are three women. A woman named Farhana, initially accused, was released after no evidence was found against her. The FIR registered after the violence named Sambhal MP Zai-ur-Rehman Barq and SP MLA Iqbal Mahmood’s son, Sohail Iqbal, for allegedly provoking the crowd to pelt stones at the survey team and the accompanying police personnel. While the charge sheet has been filed in six cases, it is yet to be filed in case number 335, in which the MP and the MLA’s son are named.
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