JD-U to Akhilesh: Arrest all Muzaffarnagar riot culprits

Janata Dal-United (JD-U) leader K C Tyagi on Tuesday said that justice would prevail only if the Akhilesh Yadav-led Uttar Pradesh Government arrested all culprits responsible for the Muzaffarnagar riots, irrespective of their political background.

"It is a test for the Akhilesh Yadav led-Uttar Pradesh Government to arrest all those politicians, whose names have figured in the FIR, whether they are of Samajwadi Party (SP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), or any other organization," he said.

Former Samajwadi Party leader and journalist, Shahid Siddiqui criticized the Uttar Pradesh Government for its failure to provide any relief to the victims.

"Even after this national outcry, there is no action in Muzaffarnagar, and people have not been arrested. Even after three weeks, there are no government relief camps for the victims even now," he said in Muzaffarnagar.

Earlier in the day, normalcy returned in riot-hit Muzaffarnagar, a day after the curfew was lifted.

Schools colleges, business establishments and other institutions are functioning normally.

The army is being gradually withdrawn from the region, but the district authorities have said that patrolling of paramilitary forces and other security arrangements will remain in place as usual.

On Monday evening, ten days after it was imposed, the administration lifted the curfew in the area, saying that the situation was again "peaceful."

Earlier on Monday, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, Congress Party President Sonia Gandhi and Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi visited the area to survey the situation and also meet victims of the riots.

The Prime Minister had earlier talked to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and condemned the violence.

The Uttar Pradesh Government has constituted a one-member judicial commission to probe the Muzaffarnagar violence.

The commission, which would mainly look into administrative lapses, if any, in controlling the violence, would submit its report to the government within two months.

Violence broke out in the Kawal area of Muzaffarnagar earlier this month when members of a community returning from a panchayat meeting in Naglabadhod, three kilometres from Kawal, clashed with members of another community.