UP Police denies investigation into 1978 Sambhal riots, says reports "misleading"

Sambhal (Uttar Pradesh) [India], January 9 (ANI): Uttar Pradesh Police on Thursday denied re-opening of investigation into the 1978 Sambhal riots and said that misinformation was being spread on social media.
Sambhal Superintendent of Police (SP) KK Bishnoi said, "A misleading information was being spread on social media and other places that the communal riots that happened in 1978 in Sambhal, are being investigated. No such thing is happening,"
This comes after reports emerged that the UP government is going to re-open the investigation into the decades old communal riots.
KK Bishnoi informed that "MLC Shrichand Sharma submitted a letter requesting details regarding the 1978 riots. Consequently, the government had sought information on the matter."
Tensions have been high in Sambal since the violence erupted in Sambhal on Novermber 24 of last year during an survey by Archaeological Survey of India of a Mughal-era mosque last month, which led to four deaths and injuries among police and locals.
Meanwhile, Sambhal District Magistrate Rajendra Pensia inspected the newly discovered sites in Sambhal.
"I inspected the newly discovered sites here in Sambhal. Removing encroachment is a normal and routine procedure. It has been going on for the last 5-6 months. ASI has nearly 8 monuments under its protection and it has ordered a demarcation of all these monuments," DM Pensia said.
Earlier, Akhilesh Yadav strongly criticized the Uttar Pradesh government over the recent Sambhal incident, accusing the administration of orchestrating the violence and making wrongful arrests. Yadav emphasized that the incident was not a riot but a "well-coordinated" act planned by government officials.
Speaking on the issue, Akhilesh Yadav said, "In the Sambhal incident, we initially wanted to send a delegation, which included the leaders of the opposition in both houses of UP, our state president, and several MLAs and MPs. But the government imposed a ban, and the police administration did not allow the delegation to go. However, they were allowed the second time, which raises the question of why they were not allowed earlier, and what the administration was hiding there." (ANI)