Sambhal row: BJP takes cover behind an old rivalry between two Samajwadi Party families

In its FIRs lodged successful transportation with the unit successful Sambhal connected Sunday implicit a court-ordered survey of the section Shahi Jama Masjid – successful which 4 radical were killed and respective constabulary unit injured – the constabulary person named Zia and Mehmood’s lad Sohail Iqbal arsenic accused among galore others. Both Zia and the SP person dismissed the constabulary case, maintaining that the erstwhile was not adjacent successful UP past Sunday.

The Sambhal territory successful occidental UP has been a stronghold of the SP for astir 3 decades. Since the 1980s, some the Barq and Mehmood families person been contesting elections against each different connected the tickets of antithetic parties, though they person remained chiefly associated with the SP since the 1990s.

The SP’s Sambhal territory president Asghar Ali said, “Both the families buried their governmental differences during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections aft the demise of Shafiqur Rehman Barq sahab. Now some sides are unneurotic moving with the enactment and determination are nary differences. The allegations of a clash betwixt Turks and Pathans implicit power successful Sambhal are baseless.”

Zia, 35, is the grandson of erstwhile SP stalwart precocious Shafiqur Rehman Barq, who passed distant astatine the property of 94 successful February this year. He was the oldest subordinate of the erstwhile Lok Sabha.

Shafiqur Rehman was a four-time MLA from Sambhal and five-time Lok Sabha MP – doubly from Sambhal and thrice from neighbouring Moradabad.

Mehmood, 71, is simply a seven-term MLA from Sambhal and ex-minister, who has been winning the spot connected the SP summons continuously since 1996. In 1991, helium had won the spot arsenic the Janata Dal nominee.

Zia and Sohail, Mehmood’s son, person been booked by the constabulary for allegedly provoking protesters adjacent the Sambhal mosque Sunday erstwhile its 2nd survey was conducted.

Shafiqur Rehman passed distant days aft the SP announced his candidature from Sambhal for the Lok Sabha polls. His decease led to the SP fielding Zia from the constituency, who was past the enactment MLA from Kundarki.

Kundarki is portion of the Sambhal Lok Sabha seat, though it falls successful the Moradabad district. Zia’s 2022 triumph from Kundarki was mostly owing to his grandfather’s popularity.

Zia won the Sambhal parliamentary constituency by defeating the BJP’s Parmeshwar Lal Saini by implicit 1.21 lakh votes. In the caller bypolls, however, the BJP won the Kundarki spot vacated by Zia, wherever its campaigner Ramveer Singh trounced the SP’s Mohammad Rizwan, an ex-MLA, by implicit 1.44 lakh votes.

Zia had contested his archetypal Assembly predetermination from Sambhal arsenic the AIMIM campaigner successful the 2017 UP polls erstwhile the SP had denied him summons and preferred to tract sitting enactment MLA Mehmood. While Mahmood retained the seat, Zia finished third.

In the 2007 polls, Zia’s begetter Mamlook-ur-Rehman had contested from the Sambhal Assembly spot arsenic the RLD nominee but finished 4th successful the predetermination won by Mehmood.

In the 2009 Lok Sabha polls, Shafiqur Rehman had clinched the Sambhal constituency connected the BSP ticket, defeating Mehmood who had contested arsenic the SP candidate.

In the 2002 Assembly polls, Mehmood had trounced Shafiqur Rehman successful Sambhal, erstwhile the second was contesting connected the Rashtriya Parivartan Dal (RPD)’s ticket.

In 1989, Shafiqur Rehman, contesting arsenic a Janata Dal candidate, had won the Sambhal Assembly spot by defeating Mehmood, who was past with the Congress. In the 1985 polls too, helium had won the aforesaid spot arsenic a Lok Dal campaigner by defeating Mehmood’s begetter Mahmud Hasan Khan, who had fought arsenic an Independent.

“There had been a face-off betwixt the families of Iqbal Mehmood and Shafiqur Rehman Barq implicit governmental power successful Sambhal for implicit 3 decades. They contested against each successful Sambhal Assembly and Lok Sabha seats respective times. While Mehmood maintained his power successful Sambhal Assembly seat, Barq retained clasp connected Sambhal Lok Sabha seat,” said an SP leader.

During the caller Lok Sabha polls, Zia was booked by the constabulary for allegedly making objectionable comments during his run and seeking votes successful the sanction of the “sacrifices” of gangsters-turned-politicians Mohammad Shahabuddin, Mukhtar Ansari and Atiq Ahmed, who died portion successful prison. Zia has denied these constabulary charges. His run was said to person mostly showcased the bequest of his grandfather.

A time aft unit erupted successful Sambhal, UP excise curate Nitin Agarwal archetypal made the allegation astir a conflict of one-upmanship betwixt Zia and Mehmood and their supporters connected the “Turks versus Pathans” lines. In a station connected X then, Agarwal said, “The arson and unit successful Sambhal is effect of the authorities of supremacy. The Turk-Pathan quality not lone disrupted bid but besides raised questions astir the information of communal people.”

The SP instantly debunked it, accusing the BJP of allegedly “trying to thrust a wedge betwixt Muslim sub-castes aft creating a Hindu-Muslim divide”.

“BJP is trying to divert attention. We are proceeding it for the archetypal clip astir this Turk and Pathan matter. The contented is Jama Masjid and each Muslims are agreed implicit it,” Iqbal Mehmood told The Indian Express, adding that “there is nary combat for supremacy successful Sambhal”.

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