Pratapgarh (UP), Aug 29 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday said the judicial commission report on the November 2024 Sambhal violence confirmed a conspiracy for riots in the town, and asserted that the state is now moving from "appeasement" towards "satisfaction" where there's no place for any demographic shift.

The three-member panel on Thursday met the chief minister and submitted its report on the violence that erupted near the Shahi Jama Masjid on November 24 during an ASI-monitored survey of the mosque, claiming four lives and injuring several others.

Sources claimed the document flags a sharp demographic shift in Sambhal, a plot to target Hindus, and the role of radical groups and outside rioters in the unrest.

Speaking at the inauguration and foundation-laying ceremony for various development projects here, Adityanath linked the violence to a history of “targeted actions” against Hindus under the previous state governments.

“The judicial commission submitted its report on the Sambhal incident on Thursday, revealing parts of how a conspiracy for riot unfolded in 2024," Adityanath said.

“During the tenure of the Samajwadi Party and Congress, Hindus were selectively targeted, their demography was reduced, they were continuously subjected to oppression, and areas were made Hindu-free through riots.

“But there is a double-engine government in place today, which will not allow the demography to change. Whoever dares to change the demography will be forced to flee because every citizen is now getting the benefits of government schemes without any discrimination,” he said.

"We are now moving towards 'santushtikaran' (satisfaction), and not 'tushtikaran' (appeasement)," the chief minister added.

The Sambhal dispute dates back to November 19 last year, when Hindu petitioners filed a suit in the district court claiming the Shahi Jama Masjid was built on a temple.

A court-ordered survey was conducted on the same day (November 19), followed by another on November 24.

The second survey triggered significant unrest in the area, resulting in the death of four persons and injuries to 29 policemen.

According to government sources, the judicial panel report claims that Hindus have been "consistently made the primary target in every riot since 1947" and they were again the focus of a plot during the flare-up in Sambhal.

The report credits Uttar Pradesh Police with preventing a "massacre" and says the rioters were brought in from outside.

It also links internal clashes to the longstanding Turk-Pathan tensions, and says the controversy over the Harihar temple, which was allegedly replaced by the mosque, was stoked by references to Babur's legacy, which worsened the atmosphere, the sources said.

The report highlights major demographic shifts in Sambhal, noting that the Hindu population fell from 45 per cent at the time of Independence to 15 per cent now, while Muslims presently make up 85 per cent of the population, the sources said.

It alleges that radical organisations and illegal arms and drug networks were activated to destabilise the region, while praising swift state action.

According to the sources, the panel traces Sambhal's history of communal strife to a 1953 Shia-Sunni clash, with major riots in 1956, 1959, 1962 (when Jan Sangh MLA Mahesh Gupta was stabbed), 1966, and 1976, when a mosque committee dispute and a maulvi's murder triggered temple attacks and curfew. PTI CDN MAN ARI ARI

Conspiracy for riots: panel finds coordinated targeting, outside mobilisation and radical group involvement in Sambhal unrest. The judicial commission report finds a conspiracy for riots in the November 2024 Sambhal unrest, citing targeted actions against Hindus, mobilisation of outside rioters, activation of radical organisations and illegal networks, and longstanding communal tensions; it documents major demographic shifts in Sambhal and credits police action with averting a larger massacre.