The file of the 1978 riots in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh will be reopened. This decision has been taken after the statement of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in the Assembly. This riot started about 47 years ago on March 29 after Holi. 184 people were murdered. Curfew was imposed for about 30 days.
On January 8, 2025, Moradabad Commissioner Anjaneya Singh has asked Sambhal District Magistrate Dr. Rajendra Pensia to hand over all the records related to this riot. According to sources, many old cases may be re-investigated on the basis of complaints from some people. Commissioner Anjaneya Singh has also called a meeting regarding this matter. This indicates that there may be a thorough investigation and review of the related matters. The investigation report will be submitted within a week.
Earlier on January 7, Sambhal SP (Superintendent of Police) KK Bishnoi had written a letter to DM Pensia that Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council member Srichandra Sharma has demanded a fresh investigation into the 1978 riots. Sharma had mentioned receiving letters in this regard from the Deputy Secretary of the Home Department of Uttar Pradesh and the Superintendent of Police (Human Rights). Deputy Secretary of Home Department Satendra Pratap Singh has given instructions to take action in this regard within a week.
It is noteworthy that Sambhal has a long history of riots. On the basis of these riots, Hindus were gradually eliminated from the Sambhal municipal area. At the time of the country’s independence, the population of Hindus in Sambhal municipal area was 45 percent, which has come down to 15-20% today. At that time Muslims were 55%. Today they have increased to 80-85 percent.
The administration has also prepared an internal report on these riots. Its copy is available with OpIndia. This shows that the biggest riot took place in Sambhal in 1978. After this riot, about 100 Hindu families living in Khaggusarai left this area. The situation was so bad that most of the Hindus cremated their loved ones at Brijghat by making effigies of clothes.
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ToggleHindu teacher’s daughter raped, wife kidnapped
During this riot, the daughter and wife of a Hindu teacher were abducted by Manjar Shafi. Shafi also played a big role in instigating this riot. Hindu teacher’s daughter released after rape. His wife was saved by the Hindus. Today this teacher’s family does not live in Sambhal.
Banwari Lal said shoot him, but the rioters hacked him to death.
The internal report available with OpIndia states that on receiving information about the riots, Banwari Lal Goyal started going to the affected area. His wife and son stopped him. But he went to the riot affected area saying, all Muslims are like my friends and brothers. Everyone works with me. Nothing will happen to me. But Banwari Lal Goyal was captured by Muslim rioters.
Told them that they have come to take money from these feet and cut their feet. Then he said that you have come to take money from these hands and cut off the hands also. After this he was murdered by slitting his neck. During this time, Banwari Lal kept pleading in front of the Muslim rioters that don’t cut me, shoot me. But no one listened. Hardwari Lal Sharma and Subhash Chandra Rastogi had seen this incident with their own eyes. During this massacre, both of them saved their lives by hiding in a drum. Hardwari Lal’s real brother, who was studying in high school, was also killed by Muslim rioters by stabbing him with a knife during this period.
Sharma and Rastogi were also witnesses to this massacre. Names like Irfan, Wajid, Zahid, Manjar, Shahid, Kamil, Achchan were accused. But this case had to be closed in 2010 because the witnesses did not appear. The judge closed the case by commenting that I cannot even imagine that these people (accused) are not being hanged.
The kind of pressure that must have been exerted on the witnesses can be understood from the fact that the brother of Pradeep Aggarwal, who was the business partner of Banwari Lal’s son Vineet Goyal, was shot dead by Wasim. He also threatened that if anyone filed an FIR against him, he would also be killed. No case was registered against him.
According to the internal report, pressure was also put on Banwari Lal’s family from Dr. Shafiqur Rahman Burke. Burke has been a Samajwadi Party MP from Sambhal. At present his grandson Ziaur Rahman Burke is the SP MP from this seat. A case has also been registered against Ziaur Rahman Burke in the violence that took place during the survey in Jama Masjid. Around 1995, Banwari Lal Goyal’s family left Sambhal.
Recently, after the discussion about these riots started, Banwari Lal Goyal’s son Vineet Goyal had returned back to Sambhal. He had told that after the murder, other Hindus including his father were burnt in such a way that even their ashes could not be found. After a month of the riots, he performed symbolic cremation by wrapping flowers and leaves in flour.
