Five months after violence, police circles see major reshuffle in UP’s Sambhal
Sambhal: In a major administrative reshuffle, Superintendent of Police (SP) Krishna Kumar Bishnoi has transferred the officers-in-charge of three key police circles in Sambhal district of Uttar Pradesh, five months after communal violence broke out in the area.
Among those transferred is Sambhal Circle Officer (CO) Anuj Chaudhary, who courted controversy for his remarks during the festival of Holi this year, stating, “There is only one Holi, but there are as many as 52 Friday prayers.” He has now been assigned to the Chandausi Circle.
Replacing him in Sambhal Circle is IPS officer Alok Bhati, who previously served as Assistant Superintendent of Police.
Meanwhile, Alok Sidhu has been given charge of the Bahjoi Circle, and Dr Pradeep Kumar, the outgoing Bahjoi CO, has been appointed as the new Traffic CO.
Further changes include the transfer of Traffic CO Santosh Kumar Singh to UP Dial 112, the state’s integrated emergency response system.
According to SP Bishnoi, the reshuffle — carried out on Saturday — is aimed at strengthening law and order and streamlining police operations in the district, which has remained sensitive since last year’s violence.
On November 24, 2024, clashes erupted at the Jama Masjid in Sambhal during a survey conducted by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
The incident left four people dead and heightened communal tensions. The violence was linked to a long-standing dispute, with members of the Hindu community claiming that the site was originally the Harihar Temple, which was allegedly demolished in 1529 by Mughal emperor Babur, who constructed the mosque there.
Police have so far arrested 79 people in the case, including three women.
District authorities said that the administrative changes are part of an effort to maintain peace and restore public confidence in the police machinery.