The Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal, already embroiled in a sensitive legal and communal controversy, has returned to the spotlight following a move by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to install a new signboard that identifies the centuries-old structure as “Juma Masjid” instead of its popularly known name.
The blue-coloured ASI signboard, which is currently lying at the Satyavrat police outpost, is expected to be installed soon. It will replace an earlier board that bore the name “Shahi Jama Masjid.”
According to ASI counsel Vishnu Sharma, the new signage reflects the mosque’s official name as recorded in ASI’s historical documentation. “An ASI board was earlier installed outside the mosque but was allegedly removed by unidentified individuals. They had replaced it with a board naming the site ‘Shahi Jama Masjid’,” Sharma said. “The new board has been issued in accordance with the official records, which list the monument as ‘Juma Masjid’.”
Sharma further noted that a similar ASI board bearing the name “Juma Masjid” is already in place inside the mosque compound. However, the ASI has not given a specific timeline for when the new board outside the mosque will be installed.
The move has triggered fresh debate in the region, as the mosque remains the subject of a sensitive court case. A petition filed in court has alleged that the mosque, which dates back to the Mughal era, was built on the site of an ancient Hindu temple. This claim has escalated communal sensitivities in the area.
The situation turned violent last year on November 24, when a court-ordered survey was being conducted at the site. The survey, intended to assess the structure and its historical context, led to violent clashes in the Kot Garvi locality of Sambhal. Four people lost their lives in the violence, and several others, including police personnel, were injured. Zafar Ali, the president of the Shahi Jama Masjid committee, was arrested on March 23 this year on charges of inciting crowds.
