BJP legislator Sangeet Som surrenders in UP

BJP legislator Sangeet Som, one of the 16 political leaders accused in the Muzaffarnagar violence, surrendered before the police in Uttar Pradesh's Sardhana town Saturday.

Initially the police wanted to arrest him from Salawa village where he was reported to be since Friday night after returning from the state capital.

However, thousands of his supporters converged outside his house.

Fearing resistance, senior officials intervened and prevailed upon Sangeet Som to surrender to prevent any untoward incident.

Som, after holding discussions with senior party leaders, relented.

He was whisked away by special police teams to an undisclosed destination.

Sangeet Som is Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator from Sardhana in Meerut and is accused by the authorities of distributing inflammatory CDs' which triggered violence Sep 7, leaving 48 people dead and thousands homeless.

Suresh Rana, another BJP legislator from the region and against whom a court issued non-bailable warrant, was Friday arrested from the state capital and is likely to be produced before the court Saturday.