For Alam, a biscuit seller in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, and his father, Yameen, the past year has been marked by a desperate search for justice. Shot three times amid violent protests linked to the Sambhal mosque survey, Alam says he has gone through multiple surgeries, medical bills running into lakhs of rupees, and mounting legal troubles. 

Over one year after the gunshot injuries, a Sambhal court has now directed the district police to file an FIR against several police officers, including the then circle officer Anuj Chaudhary and the SHO. It has directed the police to probe what Alam’s family claims to be police firing and submit the FIR details within 7 days. 

Notably, Alam is himself an accused in one of the FIRs linked to the violence. He has been charged under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Section 191(2) (rioting) and 190 (unlawful assembly), in addition to Section 319(2) (cheating by personation), for allegedly lying about his identity and address while seeking treatment in a Meerut hospital.

In its 11-page order last week, Chief Judicial Magistrate Vibhanshu Sudheer

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