Mosque survey sparks deadly clashes in northern India

Lucknow, India (AP) — Authorities closed schools and suspended internet services in a northern Indian city on Monday, officials said, a day after four people were killed in clashes sparked by an official survey probing whether a 16th-century mosque was built on a Hindu temple.

Nearly 1,000 Muslim protesters gathered outside the Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal, in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, on Sunday to prevent a team conducting a court-ordered survey after a petition from a Hindu lawyer that claimed the mosque was built on the site of a Hindu temple, officials said.

“All schools and colleges have been closed and public gatherings have been prohibited” in Sambhal, said a local administrator, Aunjaneya Kumar Singh. Authorities also banned outsiders, social organizations and public representatives from entering the city without official permission until Nov. 30, Singh said, as the government scrambled to contain the unrest.

Policemen patrol on the deserted streets of Sambhal, in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, on November 25, 2024.

What began as a standoff escalated into clashes when protesters threw stones at police, who responded by deploying tear gas, police said.

“Some miscreants in the crowd resorted to violence, forcing us to use minor force and tear gas to restore order,” said Krishna Kumar Vishnoi, a local police officer.

A general view of the audience during the opening of a temple dedicated to Hindu deity Lord Ram, in Ayodhya, India, Monday, January 22, 2024.

Related article Modi hails a new ‘divine India’ as he inaugurates controversial Hindu temple ahead of nationwide elections

Videos circulating on social media showed scenes of stone-pelting and vehicles engulfed in flames as police