Woman Accused in Violence Walks Free

Farhana, an accused in the Sambhal violence of November 24, 2024, walked out of Moradabad jail, a free woman, on Thursday, after the court of Sambhal chief judicial magistrate (CJM) ordered her release on Wednesday.

- HT Correspondent

Meerut: The Sambhal police have filed a 4,000-page charge-sheet against 79 arrested individuals in connection with the November 24, 2024, violence during protests against the Jama Masjid survey. The chargesheet, submitted in the Chief Judicial Magistrate's court on Thursday, names Dubai-based international auto-lifter as the mastermind behind the unrest.

The accused face charges of rioting, arson, and firing, with investigations revealing links to organized crime and foreign funding.

The chargesheet covers six cases registered in connection with the violence, in which five people lost their lives and 30 police personnel sustained injuries. The arrested individuals include three women. A woman named Farhana, initially accused, was released after no evidence was found against her.

Sambhal SP Krishan Kumar Bishnoi said that the process of filing chargesheets in cases related to last year's violence has begun. "In a few cases concerning attacks on police personnel, the chargesheet was submitted in court on Thursday," he told HT.