Meerut, March 25 -- The arrest of Sambhal's Shahi Jama Masjid Committee president Zafar Ali was a deliberate attempt to silence him ahead of his scheduled testimony before a three-member judicial commission on Monday, his elder brother and lawyer Tahir Ali claimed.

Zafar was arrested on Sunday in connection with the violent clashes that erupted during a court-ordered survey of the Mughal-era mosque on November 24, 2024.

According to Tahir, Zafar would stand by his claim made on November 25, when he accused police of opening fire and killing five people during the violence in Sambhal, and intended to reiterate it in court. "He will testify that police fired bullets and that the people who died were shot by police," Tahir said. "We will f...