Mohd Ghulam, associate of gangster Shariq Satha, was arrested for plotting to assassinate lawyer Vishnu Shankar Jain amid violence linked to the Shahi Jama Masjid survey, revealing a broader conspiracy.
Sambhal: The Sambhal Police have arrested Mohd Ghulam, a key associate of Dubai-based gangster Shariq Satha, for allegedly conspiring to assassinate Supreme Court lawyer Vishnu Shankar Jain during the violence that erupted amid the Shahi Jama Masjid survey on November 24, 2023.
Superintendent of Police (SP) Krishan Bishnoi revealed in a press conference that Ghulam, acting on Satha’s instructions, incited violence and targeted Jain, who had petitioned for the mosque survey.
“As a part of the plan to murder Vishnu Jain, his photograph was given to people who were asked to finish him off,”
said SP Bishnoi.
Advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, who primarily practices in the Supreme Court, has been representing the Hindu side in major Temple-Mosque disputes, including the Krishna Janmabhoomi Temple-Shahi Idgah Mosque case.
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During the operation, police recovered a large cache of foreign-made arms and ammunition from Ghulam. A forensic analysis confirmed that the recovered ammunition matched bullet casings found at crime scenes where four people were killed during the unrest.
According to the police, Ghulam orchestrated the violence by directing his associates, Mullah Afroz and Mohd Waris, to attack protesters and escalate tensions.
He has 20 criminal cases registered against him across Sambhal, neighbouring districts, and Delhi-NCR.
Investigations revealed that on November 23, 2024, a day before the violence, Ghulam and Satha conspired to prevent the survey from taking place. So far, 79 individuals have been arrested in connection with the riots.
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SP Bishnoi also alleged that Satha had previously enjoyed political patronage, including from former Samajwadi Party MP Shafiqur Rehman Barq.
He further stated that rioters were incited by being told that the mosque was built 5000 years ago and symbolized Babur, and that it was their “religious duty to protect the structure.”
“They wanted to kill him so that violence spreads in the entire country and they get famous across the world,”
the SP said.
The police confirmed that Ghulam had erased a lot of data from his mobile phone, but forensic experts would recover the deleted information.
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Additionally, the police are also investigating potential links to gold smuggling that surfaced during the probe.
The arrest of Ghulam has shed light on the deep-rooted conspiracy behind the Sambhal violence, and authorities continue their crackdown on those involved in the attempted assassination of Advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain.
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