Ahead of the prayers, district authorities had issued an appeal requesting devotees to offer prayers in nearby mosques instead of gathering at the Jama Masjid where the clashes erupted on Sunday.

The petition contends that the survey at Sambhal's Jama Masjid, ordered by a civil judge, was conducted hastily and could lead to communal tensions, jeopardizing the secular fabric of the country.

Security has increased around Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, before Friday prayers due to recent tensions. The RAF and drones are deployed to maintain order after violence during ASI's examination of the mosque.

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Four people died after violence broke out in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal after a trial court allowed the survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid following claims that it was built by destroying a Hindu temple.

The Supreme Court on Friday said it will hear on December 9 a plea of the mosque committee against the Allahabad High Court rejecting its petition challenging the maintainability of 18 cases of the Hindu side related to the Krishna Janmabhoomi-Shahi Idgah dispute in Mathura.

The police have arrested 31 people and registered seven FIRs. Among those named as accused are Samajwadi Party MP Zia-ur-Rehman Barq, local Samajwadi Party MLA Iqbal Mehmood's son Sohail Iqbal, and 2,

On November 19, a civil court in Sambhal had directed an advocate commissioner to conduct a survey of the mosque following a plea by Advocate Hari Shankar Jain and seven others.

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel has announced the formation of a three-member judicial inquiry commission to investigate the November 24 violence in Sambhal. The commission has been directed to complete its inquiry within two months from the date of the notification.