# Sambhal probe report blames SP leaders, gives BJP poll weapon 2026-08-07T15:28:33+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet A judicial commission report tabled in the Uttar Pradesh assembly on August 5 has concluded that the November 2024 Sambhal violence was 'pre-planned', India Today reports. The 854-page report, headed by retired judge Justice Devendra Arora, blames Samajwadi Party MP Zia-ur-Rehman Barq, MLA Iqbal Mahmood's son Suhail Iqbal and others for the unrest. It gives the police a clean chit and says the bullets that killed four people were not fired from police weapons. The violence erupted over a court-mandated survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid. The BJP sees the report as official ammunition to reinforce its law and order narrative ahead of the UP assembly elections. The SP has rejected the findings as politically motivated, pointing to the chief minister's '80 versus 20' remark. Both parties are expected to spar over the report in the coming months. ## Coverage - indiatoday.in Tags: BJP, judicial commission, law and order, Samajwadi Party, Sambhal violence, Uttar Pradesh Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/sambhal-probe-report-blames-sp-leaders-gives-bjp-poll-weapon/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/sambhal-probe-report-blames-sp-leaders-gives-bjp-poll-weapon/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.