Sambhal has a long history of riots. Over time, these riots became a means for the Muslim population to drive Hindus out of the Sambhal municipal area. In 1947, when India gained independence, Hindus made up 45% of the area’s population, while Muslims accounted for 55%. However, over time, the Hindu population in the region has dropped to 15-20%, and Muslims now account for 80-85%.
Khaggusarai, a neighbourhood in Sambhal, once had a temple that disappeared after the 1978 riots which has recently been discovered. According to an internal report accessed by OpIndia, the 1978 riots recorded the highest casualties in Sambhal’s history. Following the violence, around 100 Hindu families left Khaggusarai permanently.
A Hindu teacher’s daughter was raped, and his wife was abducted
Media reports suggest that the riots began after Holi celebrations on 29th March 1978 and claimed 184 lives. This led to a month-long curfew in the area. At that time, Banwari Lal Goyal, a prominent businessman in Sambhal, was brutally murdered during the riots. In the same riots, the daughter and wife of a Hindu teacher were abducted and brutally raped by Manzar Shafi, who played a key role in inciting violence against Hindus. The teacher’s wife was later rescued by Hindus. The families of Banwari Lal Goyal and the Hindu teacher left Sambhal after the riots.
24 Hindus burnt alive using tyres and sugarcane husk
When the riots broke out, Banwari Lal urged several Hindu shopkeepers to hide at his brother-in-law Murari Lal’s house. However, Muslim traders tipped off the rioters. A mob of Islamist rioters then broke the gates of Murari Lal’s house using a tractor and brutally killed 24 Hindus. They piled sugarcane husks and tyres around the dead bodies and set them on fire. The situation was so grim that many Hindus had to perform symbolic cremations of their loved ones using effigies at Brijghat.
Dainik Bhaskar quoted 58-year-old historian Sanjay Shankhdhar, who is familiar with Sambhal’s history, in a report. He noted that the riots caused a significant exodus of Hindus from the area. Before the 1978 riots, Hindus constituted 35% of the population. However, this dropped to 20% in the aftermath of the riots. Shankhdhar described the 1978 riots a pivotal moment in Sambhal’s history, precipitating an exodus to an extent never seen before. He detailed how Muslim rioters killed 26 people, including 24 Hindu shopkeepers who had taken shelter at Murari Lal’s house.
Banwari Lal begged to be shot but was hacked to death
According to the internal report accessed by OpIndia, Banwari Lal went to the riot-affected area despite warnings from his wife and son. He told them, “All Muslims are like my friends and brothers. Everyone works with me. Nothing will happen to me,” and went to the area. When he reached the area, Muslim rioters captured him. The rioters then cut off his legs. Then taunted him, claiming he had come to collect money using his hands and then cut off his arms, and finally slit his throat.
During this torture, Banwari Lal begged the rioters to shoot him instead. However, his pleas were ignored. The horrific incident was witnessed by Hardwari Lal Sharma and Subhash Chandra Rastogi, who managed to save themselves by hiding inside a drum. During the massacre, Hardwari Lal’s brother, a high school student, was also killed by the rioters.
Witnesses under immense pressure
Witnesses like Sharma and Rastogi identified the accused, including Irfan, Wajid, Zahid, Manzar, Shahid, Kamil, and Acchan. However, by 2010, the case was closed due to the absence of witnesses. The judge, while closing the case, remarked that it was unthinkable that the accused were not being sentenced to death.
The pressure on witnesses can be seen from the fact that Wasim, one of the accused, shot and killed the brother of Pradeep Agarwal, a business partner of Banwari Lal’s son, Vineet Goyal. Wasim threatened to kill anyone who filed an FIR against him, ensuring no case was ever registered against him.
In 1995, Banwari Lal Goyal’s family permanently left Sambhal. According to the internal report, Banwari Lal’s family was pressured by former Samajwadi Party MP from Sambhal, Dr Shafiqur Rahman Barq. His son, Zia-ur Rahman Barq, is currently an MP from Sambhal. Notably, he has been named in a case related to the violence in Sambhal that broke out on 24th November 2024 during the Jama Masjid survey.
