Over 50 arrests. Multiple demolitions. Many FIRs. A judicial probe. And five dead. Those are just some figures from the violence that rocked Sambhal on November 24 after a court-approved survey of the Jama Masjid – amid claims that it was built on an ancient temple.  

But this piece is not about what’s already in the public domain about Sambhal. This is instead an account of the Sambhal that wasn’t visible on camera, and how it became my most challenging story of the year.

On November 25, a day after five people were killed in violence, I woke up to missed calls from Newslaundry’s managing editor Atul Chaurasia. When I called back, I was told to pause all my other assignments and rush for Sambhal. I sent an email request for a cab while I was just getting ready for the day, and before I had finished taking a shower, I had received two more calls from editor-in-chief Raman Kirpal.

“Listen, we need a story like the one you did from Bahraich. Talk to everyone.”

I was on the road soon. 

Many firsts: Identity and security

There are three toll plazas between Delhi and Sambhal, but it was the first time I saw them with such heavy police deployment. Emphasis on first because the route isn’t new to me – my home is in Amroha. And after three hours, I was in Sambhal.

The roads were deserted, there were curfew-like restrictions, and internet services had been snapped. I proceeded to the Jama Masjid, which was then at the centre of headlines. I didn’t know then that my identity would decide what my camera gets to record.

There are Hindu homes around the mosque. When I reached the spot, I saw some women peeping out from the windows. I called out to them, requesting a conversation. But all the windows were quickly shut, except one. “The police have shut off the entrance. You will have to take a detour,” said a girl, who agreed to talk after knowing my name.

I reached the house through another lane, and found all the womenfolk of the family huddled together. What I recorded on camera had to be deleted as the girl’s brother walked into the house, and requested me to delete all the clips. “You will go away but we have to live here together again.”

While this family had let me into their house because of my Hindu name, there were others who refused to talk after asking my name. 

I then decided to meet the families of the deceased, and find out what they’re going through. I tried to reach out to three such families. At one of these homes, after the family refused to speak to me, and I had left the house, a local who spotted the Newslaundry microphone took me back and convinced the family to talk.

Mistrust and logistical issues

There were many other reasons behind the local mistrust.

A woman whose 15-year-old daughter was taken for interrogation by the police told me that her house had been damaged by police officials. “We’ve been beaten, injured, and the Delhi media is looking for stones in our house. We don’t want to talk to such media."

Some were grieving, like a father I met in Turtipura Ilha. “I will go to a corner and cry but I do not want to tell my pain to anyone.”

The youngsters outside the man’s house said there were two primary reasons behind the disquiet: the police pressure to not mention police firing as the reason behind the deaths and the media coverage portraying locals as stone-pelters.

At the end of the day, I didn’t have enough quotes to weave together my ground report. But at 10 pm, Atul sir told me to file the report early in the morning. I didn’t know how to tell him that it was only 10 percent complete. At the same time, I was also worried about finding a place to sleep.

All the hotels were occupied – either by the police or the media. Many media colleagues had gone to nearby areas like Chandausi to find a place to rest. I initially decided to sleep in the cab but was informed by someone of a vacant room at 2 am.

When I woke up, I realised that we were out of money – digital payments weren’t working because of the internet curbs. I sought the help of friends who gave me cash in Sambhal.

At 10 am, Atul sir called me to ask about the report and said it should be in by the same evening at least. I told our driver Lakhvir Singh to eat meals on time and be on standby while I went about the assignment, trying to convince people to talk, showing them the kind of reports I had done in the past.

A side less visible

The administration’s bias seemed visible in some places.

When I visited the Kaila Devi temple to meet Mahant Rishiraj Giri – one of the petitioners in the case against the mosque – I saw BJP leaders lined up to meet him, the SHO of the local police station stepping out after seeking the mahant’s blessings. Two policemen deployed at the temple tried to stop me but eventually let me in. One of them said that no Muslim journalist is to be allowed inside.

After talking to the mahant, I wanted to meet Maulana Moeed, who has written the book Tareeq-e-Sambhal on the history of the district. But he refused to speak to me. I told him that the town needed voices like him, to at least speak about the other historical perspective when one side has been disproportionately amplified by a section of the media. He said the police were questioning those who were speaking to the media, but he eventually agreed to speak.

Hours later, there was a meeting at the district magistrate’s residence, where top officials such as the SP, and eminent members of the Muslim community were present. Jama Masjid committee chief Zafar Ali was also in attendance. Journalists waited outside.

But as soon as the meeting concluded, Sambhal SP K K Bishnoi told the media that he will speak to journalists at his home along with the DM. By the time the participants of the meeting came out, most journalists had already left the spot.

I tried to speak to Zafar Ali, but he refused to speak to me. A lawyer noted down my number and said I will get a call in an hour. I then left for the SP’s home. 

After the press conference at the SP’s home, two acquaintances of Zafar Ali took me to the Jama Masjid to meet the committee head. While we were on the staircase, a policeman called out from behind and accused me of sneaking inside the mosque. I was wearing my press card and the Newslaundry microphone was in my jacket’s pocket. But I was surrounded by around 50 police officials as if I was a criminal. I felt a bit scared because I had heard many stories about arbitrary police action across Sambhal by then.

Hearing the commotion, a prominent lawyer who lives near the mosque arrived on the spot. He recognised me as I had met him earlier in the morning. On his request, the police took my ID card and some of my photographs and then let me go. This was quite surprising for me because all this happened when two people from the mosque committee were with me.

We met Zafar Ali late at night in another area of ​​Sambhal. And with his quote, my report was complete. I left for Delhi, stopping for dinner at a dhaba in Hapur around 2 in the morning.

The impact

After the report was published, I started getting calls and messages, many of them from Sambhal. Some cut reels, some said I had done justice to the area. SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and many Congress leaders shared the report online. And several journalists called me to ask for contacts of the voices featured in the report.

I get many calls from Sambhal even today. Everyone has their own problems. Someone's son has been picked up by the police, while someone is threatening to take action against someone. Just yesterday, someone called claiming that the police picked up three boys from their locality and that they had been brutally beaten. There is hope that the situation can improve if there is an honest media report.

Such reportage takes an emotional toll too. For example, Hassan’s mother called me two days ago to tell me that her son’s arm has been damaged in jail as he didn’t receive proper medical treatment for his bullet injuries. 

This year gave me many reporting assignments – riots, atrocities on Dalits, paper leaks, media developments, and interviews. But Sambhal is testimony to what objective journalism can do for those at the margins of society.

I hope that I get to ask the most pressing questions next year too. Thanks to smart subscribers who pay to keep news free.

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