Owaisi Targets BJP-RSS Over Sambhal, Says Hindutva Agenda Behind Demographic Debate

New Delhi: All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi has accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) of targeting Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal city as part of their alleged Hindutva agenda. His remarks came a day after a fact-finding panel submitted a detailed report to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, highlighting major demographic changes in the region.

Owaisi, speaking to ANI, alleged that the community in Sambhal has faced grave injustices, especially during incidents of police firing that claimed several lives. He declared, “Sambhal is on the BJP-RSS target. The fight for justice is being fought. We have hopes with the Court. We have no hopes for justice from the BJP, Yogi and Narendra Modi because whatever is happening in Sambhal, with many people being killed during police firing, it is clear and known what kind of report will come out.”

The three-member committee, appointed to probe the November 2024 violence in Sambhal, handed over a 450-page report on August 28. The report documents not only the recent clashes but also earlier episodes of communal unrest in the city. Most notably, it draws attention to a significant demographic shift in Sambhal over the decades.

According to the findings, at the time of independence, Sambhal Nagar Palika’s population was roughly balanced at 55% Muslim and 45% Hindu. Over the years, however, the Hindu population has seen a steep decline—from nearly half the population to just 15–20% today—while the Muslim community has grown to nearly 85%.

Reacting to these figures, Owaisi accused the ruling party of using such reports to push its ideological narrative. “What is there in the report? You are just looking to implement the agenda of Hindutva in Sambhal. I have full faith that the people will not let this happen,” he said.