The court accepts a petition by the father of a Muslim teenager who was shot at while selling biscuits during the Shahi Jama Masjid survey in November, 2024
NEW DELHI — A district court in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal has ordered registration of a criminal case against senior police officers over the shooting of a Muslim teenager during violence linked to the survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid on November 24, 2024. The order has come as rare relief for a poor family that has been seeking justice for months.
The Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) of Sambhal, Vibhanshu Sudhir, on Tuesday directed the Sambhal Kotwali police to register an FIR against the then Circle Officer (CO) Sambhal, Anuj Chaudhary, then Kotwali Inspector Anuj Tomar, and over a dozen other unidentified police personnel. The court also ordered a proper investigation into the incident.
The case relates to Kishore Alam, a Muslim minor who was seriously injured in the alleged police firing during the violence that broke out during the mosque survey. Five people were killed and several others injured that day, almost all of them Muslims.
The petition was filed by Alam’s father, Yamin, a daily wage labourer and resident of Mohalla Khaggu Sarai Anjuman under Nakhasa police station limits. In his plea, Yamin stated that his son was not part of any protest or disturbance and was only trying to earn a living.
“My son left home early in the morning to sell biscuits and papaya on his cart,” Yamin told the court. “This small work was how our family survived.”
According to the complaint, Alam left home around 8 am on November 24, 2024. At about 8.45 am, when he reached the Shahi Jama Masjid area in Mohalla Kot, a large crowd was already present. The petition states that at that moment, CO Anuj Chaudhary, Inspector Anuj Tomar and other policemen opened fire on the crowd.
The complaint alleges that the firing was done with intent to kill. “My son ran to save his life after leaving the cart, but he was shot in the back twice and once in the hand,” Yamin said. “He fell on the road and lay there bleeding.”
Family members said the child was rushed for treatment and survived, but with serious injuries that changed his life. “He is still scared of the police uniform,” a relative said. “He was only a child earning for his parents.”
Yamin told the court that he had earlier tried to approach the police, but no case was registered. “No one listened to us because we are poor and Muslim,” he said. “That is why I went to court.”
In his petition, Yamin named 10 to 12 police personnel, including Anuj Chaudhary and Anuj Tomar. Chaudhary was the CO of Sambhal at the time and is now posted as ASP Rural in Firozabad.
After hearing the matter, the CJM accepted the plea and ordered the FIR. Legal observers say the order is significant in a climate where Muslim victims of police action often struggle to even get cases registered.
A local lawyer said, “This order shows that the court has taken the injury of a Muslim minor seriously. Police firing cannot be above the law.”
Residents of the area said the firing had created fear among Muslims. “That day changed Sambhal,” said a local shopkeeper. “People were shot, families were ruined, and no one was ready to hear our pain.”
After the court order, Alam’s family expressed relief. “We feel some hope now,” Yamin said. “I only want the truth to come out and those who fired at my child to be punished.”
Human rights activists said the case again raises serious questions about police conduct during actions involving Muslim religious places. “There must be accountability,” an activist said. “A child selling biscuits should never be treated as a criminal.”
The Sambhal Kotwali police have been directed to register the case without delay and begin investigation. All eyes are now on whether the law will take its course in a case that has shaken the conscience of the Muslim community in Sambhal.
