When violence broke out in Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal district on November 24 last year, I was on the ground covering the affected region for another media organisation. The initial shockwaves travelled far beyond western Uttar Pradesh.
What began as a hyper-local flashpoint during a court-ordered second-round survey of the 16th-century Mughal-era Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal escalated quickly. Rumours spread, crowds gathered, and stone-pelting and arson led to the deaths of four people, injuries to 28 policemen, seven FIRs, and 138 arrests. The riot brought the city to a grinding halt.
One year later, Sambhal stands not only as a district where law and order was tested but as a symbolic battleground that could influence the contours of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's third-term ambitions.
As Sambhal became a talking point - from tea stalls to the state assembly and even Parliament - the impact on CM Adityanath's electoral prospects is still being closely watched. I am again camping here to take you on a three-part journey - past, present, and future.
The historic city is back in the news as one more well is being restored. The Rastogi family has claimed that during the 1978 riots, Ram Charan Rastogi was murdered and his body dumped. Following Sambhal District Magistrate Rajendra Pensiya's orders, the excavation of the well has begun.
A Haunting Past
To dig deeper, I met Sambhal SP Krishan Kumar Bishnoi, who told me, “At one point, certain pockets in Sambhal had become hotbeds for extremists and criminal networks ... Deepa Sarai, in particular, has figured repeatedly in intelligence dossiers. Individuals like Maulana Asim Umar, the AQIS chief killed in a 2019 drone strike, once hailed from the area. Over the years, cases such as Mohammad Usman, who disappeared in 2012 and was later found jailed in Pakistan on terror-related allegations, reinforced Sambhal's image as a vulnerable hub.”
More recently, the Sambhal violence investigation spotlighted Mulla Afroz, who is allegedly in contact with gangster Shariq Saata, who, in turn, reportedly had links with underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Local figures such as Mulla Waris and Mulla Ghulam, also from Deepa Sarai, further reinforced the perception that the area had pockets susceptible to radical influence.
The Sambhal incident strengthened the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) “Tough CM” narrative, with the government projecting it as a model of decisive policing. Swift arrests and instant bulldozer action reinforced Yogi Adityanath's zero-tolerance image, while he frequently cited Sambhal in speeches as proof of uncompromising order. The episode also revived old tensions - land disputes, religious faultlines, and anxieties in minority-dominated areas - sharpening political rhetoric on both sides. For the BJP, Sambhal became a microcosm of law-and-order versus identity politics; for the Opposition, it symbolised state overreach. A year on, Sambhal has evolved into a symbol of governance, strengthening Yogi's third-term pitch.
Yogi Adityanath's Own Project
Ayodhya, Mathura, and Kashi have long served as ideological pillars of the BJP-RSS narrative, symbolising their larger cultural and civilisational project. These sites are used to project commitment to Hindu heritage and to rally political support around identity-driven issues.
In contrast, Sambhal has emerged as the “political baby” of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Where the BJP frames Ayodhya, Mathura, and Kashi as national cultural causes, Yogi has turned Sambhal into a showcase of his governance model - law-and-order assertion, bulldozer action, and strong-state politics. For Yogi, Sambhal is not just another district; it is a personal political experiment and proving ground.
Why Sambhal Matters For 2027
Sambhal has emerged as a politically charged district where caste equations, a sizeable Muslim population, and local power centres shape voting behaviour. For Yogi Adityanath, Sambhal has become both a challenge and an opportunity.
After last year's violence, the government projected swift arrests, bulldozer action, and tight policing as evidence of a “Yogi Baba” model. This narrative resonated strongly with non-Yadav OBCs, Jats, and upper-caste voters, even as Muslims viewed the episode as politically amplified.
Local dynamics remain complex. Traditional Muslim leadership, OBC groups, and Dalit communities have responded differently, but the BJP's welfare outreach - ration, housing, medical benefits, and women-focused schemes - combined with the security narrative, has strengthened its presence in a district where it has historically struggled.
Sambhal's significance is more symbolic than electoral. Like Kairana or Prayagraj in earlier years, it is used to showcase Yogi's governance - decisive, uncompromising, and centred on law and order. The Opposition counters this as overreach, hoping to mobilise minority sentiment. As Uttar Pradesh heads toward the 2027 polls, Sambhal has become a barometer of political messaging.
While speaking to this author, senior journalist Sameer Chougaonkar says, "Yogi Adityanath has two main political planks. First, he has completely transformed the law-and-order situation in Uttar Pradesh, and second, he positions himself as the face of Hindutva. Yogi coined the slogan 'Batenge to katenge' and created a counter-narrative to Akhilesh, Mayawati, and Rahul Gandhi by moving away from caste-based politics.” He further emphasises that in many ways, Yogi Adityanath has already begun his 2027 campaign. He repeatedly highlights how Hindus were forced to migrate from Sambhal and constantly brings up the truth of the 1978 riots. He also stresses how his focused, targeted approach contributed to the revival of 68 pilgrimage sites and 19 ancient wells.
Only time will decide whether it punches far above its seat count, shaping narratives around security, identity, and Yogi's third-term ambitions.
(The author is a Senior Correspondent, NDTV)
Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author
