Internet services in Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal district were restored on Friday, following a temporary suspension due to recent communal violence. According to District Information Officer Brijesh Kumar, the services were restored at 4:00 PM.
The move comes barely hours after Friday prayers passed off peacefully at the Shahi Jama Masjid and other places in the district, which witnessed violence following a survey of the Mughal-era mosque.
Tensions in Sambhal have been escalating since November 19, when a court ordered a survey of a mosque in response to a petition claiming that a Harihar temple once stood at the site. The situation escalated on November 24, when protests near the mosque turned violent, resulting in clashes with security forces, stone pelting, and arson. The violence led to the deaths of four people and left many others, including police officers, injured. Authorities have denied allegations that police opened fire on the protesters who were opposing the survey.