A 30-year-old man was killed when Samajwadi Party MP Zia ur Rehman Barq’s car rammed him, police said on Wednesday (4th December). Gaurav Pal, the 30-year-old resident of Alipur village, was shifted to District Joint Hospital and admitted there after the incident that had occurred on June 24, 2024. Later, he succumbed to his injuries. The father of the victim, Samar Pal, lodged his complaint on December 3 and alleged that the vehicle involved in the accident had the “Samajwadi Party MP” symbol and Barq himself was driving it.
5 महीने पहले संभल में तेज रफ्तार काली स्कॉर्पियो से युवक की मौत हुई थी।
अब इस मामले में चौंकाने वाला खुलासा हुआ है। पीड़ित परिवार ने एसपी को बताया है कि उस स्कॉर्पियो को खुद जिया-उर-रहमान बर्क चला रहे थे।
5 महीने तक सच छिपाने की कोशिश हुई। ये वही बर्क हैं जिन पर संभल हिंसा… pic.twitter.com/SL3K0vu958
— Ankur Singh (@iAnkurSingh) December 4, 2024
Sambhal Superintendent of Police, Krishan Kumar Bishnoi, confirmed the receipt of the complaint and noted that the vehicle was described as a black Mahindra Scorpio with registration number UP 38V 0880.
“In the complaint, it has been mentioned that the vehicle was a black Mahindra Scorpio with registration number UP 38V 0880. The investigation has been handed over to the assistant superintendent of police, who has been asked to submit a report within three days. Further action will be taken following the investigation,” said SP Bishnoi.
Now, the police are also inquiring into allegations of negligence and improper investigation by the local authorities on charges that have been raised by the victim’s family.
The case is still under investigation, but the family of the deceased is not satisfied with the way the police have handled the case. The father of the victim, Samar Pal, has especially pointed out the vehicle’s connection to Barq.
The development comes at a time when Sambhal MP Zia ur Rehman Barq was recently booked for instigating Islamist mob during the Sambhal violence. He is an accused in an FIR lodged into the violence that erupted on November 24, 2024. The FIR came after Islamist mobs launched violent attacks on the official team that came there to carry out court-ordered survey of the Harihar temple site which is under dispute as Muslim side claims the structure illegally built there is Jama Masjid.
The FIR states that Barq visited the mosque without prior permission and made inflammatory statements that incited the crowd, which led to violence. The FIR further stated that Barq was spotted praying at the mosque on November 22 and then began mobilising a crowd to create a ruckus.
“For political gain, he incited the crowd to disturb communal harmony,” the FIR read.
Barq denied the charges, claiming that he was not even in the state at the time when the violence erupted. Playing a victim, he even alleged a conspiracy by the Uttar Pradesh Police against him.
Suhail Iqbal, son of MLA Iqbal Mahmood, is another accused in the FIR. Iqbal is accused of inflaming the mob by bolstering them that they have the backing of local MP Barq.
The FIR states, “Suhail Iqbal provoked the mob by saying, ‘Zia ur Rahman Barq is with us; we are also with you. We will not let anything happen to you; fulfill your intentions.’
Samajwadi Party MP Barq has been named as “Accused No. 1,” and Iqbal is listed as “Accused No. 2” in the FIR, along with 700–800 unknown people. The mob attacked police personnel and caused hinderance in the court-directed survey. The situation worsened when someone from the Islamist mob opened fire at Circle Officer Anuj Chaudhary, injuring him in the leg.
SP MP Zia ur Rehman Barq have increased his legal troubles, with local authorities intensifying their investigation in response to increasing public outrage over the MP’s involvement in both the fatal accident and the violent unrest at Jama Masjid.
