Lawyers Strike in Solidarity: Arrest of Sambhal's Zafar Ali Sparks Outrage

Lawyers in Sambhal held a strike protesting the arrest of Zafar Ali, a senior lawyer and president of the Jama Masjid Management Committee. Ali's arrest, linked to past violence, is seen as an attempt to prevent his testimony before a judicial commission. The community is poised for further action.

In Sambhal district, a group of lawyers initiated a one-day strike on Monday to express their disapproval of the arrest of Zafar Ali, the president of the Jama Masjid Management Committee.

The police detained Ali, who is recognized as a senior lawyer, on Sunday due to alleged involvement in violence that erupted on November 24 of the previous year. A subset of lawyers claims the arrest is strategically aimed at hindering his testimony before a judicial commission that's delving into the incident.

As the Uttar Pradesh government establishes a three-member judicial commission to investigate, legal professionals, including Mohammad Nazar Qureshi and Shakeel Ahmed, condemn the arrest. They announce plans for further action, possibly a state-wide strike, arguing that Ali is being unjustly targeted to suppress facts about police conduct during the violence.

(With inputs from agencies.)