Rajnath Singh blames UP Govt. for 'failing to control' Muzaffarnagar riots

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Rajnath Singh on Tuesday blamed the ruling Samajwadi Party (SP) in Uttar Pradesh over its failure to control the Muzaffarnagar riots in which at least 40 people were killed.

"Its very unfortunate whatever happened in Muzaffarnagar, and for this I hold the Samajwadi Government responsible. If the Centre had intervened on time, then such a big incident could have been averted."

Earlier in the day, people welcomed the return of normal life in riot-hit Muzaffarnagar on Tuesday, a day after the curfew in the communal violence hit town 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The army is being gradually withdrawn from the region, but the district authorities have said that patrolling of paramilitary forces and other security arrangements will remain in place as usual.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.