Amidst ongoing legal proceedings regarding the Jama Masjid-Harihar Temple dispute, political tensions flared up on Wednesday night following a statement made by former BJP regional vice-president Rajesh Singhal during a Ramlila performance in Rahtaul village. He declared that henceforth, temples—not mosques—would be built in Sambhal.
He stated that they are awaiting a court order, and once received, the Hindu community would demolish the Jama Masjid to construct a temple. He also spoke of showering flowers upon the completion of the Harihar Temple. Citing the example of the Ram Temple construction in Ayodhya, he asserted that the Harihar Temple would be built in Sambhal in a similar manner. Maulana Mamlukur-Rahman Barq, father of SP MP Ziaur-Rahman Barq, responded to Singhal’s statement via social media. Terming the remarks inflammatory, he declared that such talk would not be tolerated. In a challenging tone, he dared them to demolish the Sambhal Jama Masjid and see the consequences.
Notably, violence had erupted in Sambhal on November 24, 2024, over the survey of the Jama Masjid. Consequently, these fresh statements regarding the Jama Masjid-Harihar Temple issue—a dispute that has been at the center of controversy for nearly two years—have once again brought Sambhal’s politics into the spotlight.
The statements from both leaders come at a time when political activity is intensifying in the Sambhal assembly constituency ahead of the 2027 assembly elections. In the 2022 elections, SP’s Iqbal Mahmood had defeated BJP’s Rajesh Singhal by a margin of 41,697 votes.
Rajesh Singhal has been active in the Sambhal assembly constituency on behalf of the BJP and previously served as the party’s regional vice-president. However, he was not included in the BJP’s new regional executive committee formed in September 2026. Meanwhile, Mamlukurrahman Barq—father of SP MP Ziaurrahman Barq—has already announced his intention to contest the 2027 Assembly elections from the Sambhal seat.
Against this backdrop of electoral preparations, the prominence of the Jama Masjid and Harihar Mandir issue in the statements made by leaders from both camps is being viewed as significant for the future direction of politics in Sambhal.
