PM, Sonia to visit riot-hit areas of Muzaffarnagar today

Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi will visit certain riot affected areas of Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar district today.

According to reports, they will make an on the spot assessment of the situation in the wake of communal violence that rocked some areas of the district.

They will also visit hospitals where the injured are admitted.

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

Expressing his grief and shock over the loss of innocent lives, Dr. Singh had assured the Chief Minister that the Centre will extend all required assistance to the state government in tackling the situation.

Akhilesh, who visited the violence affected areas yesterday, assured people that strict action will be taken against those responsible for the disturbances.

He also said that one family member of those killed would be given a government job.

The Chief Minister has already sanctioned 10 lakh rupees of relief for the families of those killed.

Meanwhile, the situation in the affected areas of the state is limping back to normal. No incident of violence was reported yesterday when day curfew was relaxed.

Scores of senior officials, including Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Arun Kumar and others, are constantly camping in trouble-hit Muzaffarnagar.

The Uttar Pradesh Government has constituted a one-member judicial commission to probe Muzaffarnagar violence, which claimed at least 40 lives.

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 on Saturday when members of a community returning from a panchayat meeting in Naglabadhod, three kilometres from Kawal, clashed with members of another community.