A Samajwadi Party (SP) delegation on Monday visited Sambhal and distributed cheques of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of those killed in the November 24 violence in the district during a court-ordered survey of a mosque.

The cheques were distributed by Leader of Opposition Mata Prasad Pandey, who led the SP delegation, at the Public Works Department guest house. He also interacted with the victims’ families.

Speaking to reporters, Pandey alleged that police are harassing Muslims and that the government has no sympathy for them.

“They only know (underworld don) Dawood Ibrahim, they do not know Abdul Hamid or Brigadier Usman who sacrificed their lives for the security of the country’s borders,” he said.

“They do not have goodwill in their hearts, they are creating tension between Hindus and Muslims,” the SP leader said.

Pandey further accused the BJP of creating bitterness among people for its benefit.

“Police have said that those killed in the violence were not shot by them. Whenever illegal weapons are seized, they keep them in a storehouse and when needed, they take them out and claim that the deceased were not killed by police bullets,” he said.

Four people were killed and more than 25, including security personnel, injured in violence that broke out in the Kot Garvi area here on November 24 when some locals clashed with police following a court-ordered survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid over a petition which claimed that a Harihar temple previously stood at the site.

After the violence, the entry of outsiders into the district was banned. A delegation of SP MPs that had gone to visit Sambhal was stopped by police.