Muzaffarnagar riots: Akhilesh warns of strict action

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday reiterated that his government would initiate strict action against all those trying to fan communal tension in the state's Muzaffarnagar District.

"Strict action will be taken against those trying to spread tension, culprits won't be spared. Force, officers making efforts that no untoward incident occurs and peace is maintained," Akhilesh told media here.

Earlier on Monday, amid sharp criticism from leaders of various opposition parties over the violence, Yadav described it as a political conspiracy to destabilize the Samajwadi Party (SP) Government in the state.

Yadav said the state government is committed to restore normalcy and bring the culprits to book.

"The incidents can be solved by community elders, but there are certain forces which don't want peace to prevail," he told media here.

Meanwhile, curfew remained in force in riot-hit areas of Muzaffarnagar District, where 31 people have died and more than three dozen were injured in incidents of communal violence committed over the weekend.

The police have shoot-at-sight orders and they have filed cases against over 1,000 unknown people and arrested over 90, including four BJP MLAs and a former Congress MP.

With tension running high in the area, the Centre had on Monday offered to provide additional paramilitary forces to Uttar Pradesh to assist the local administration in dealing with the situation.

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.

"A one-member judicial inquiry commission of Justice Vishnu Sahai has been constituted by the government to probe the Muzaffarnagar violence, starting from the Kawal incident on August 27 till September 9," State Home Secretary Kamal Saxena said.

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