Dual murder sparks tension in Muzaffarnagar

Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh grew tense again, after two young people were murdered in two different places a day ago, officials said Thursday. The district was rocked by communal violence last month.

Initial information available is that a carpenter, travelling from Pallavpuram to his village Jamalpur was stabbed to death by two motorbike-borne assailants.

Soon after the first murder, a 25-year-old barber at Pancheda Road in the Nayi Mandi Kotwali area was shot dead by two motorcycle-borne assailants while he was shaving a customer.

Following the murders, both of which occurred late Wednesday, people came out on the streets in large numbers, jammed roads and raised anti-government slogans.

Heavy police reinforcements were rushed to the tension-hit areas.

There were allegations that these murders too were communal incidents. The district administration fears that the crimes may take a communal hue.

"The situation was tense last night, but under control now. No one will be allowed to take the law into their own hands. The culprits behind the murders will be arrested soon," a senior police official in state capital Lucknow said.

Inspector General of Police (Law and Order) R.K. Vishwakarma told IANS that the two crimes have still to be investigated, and no clue about the possible motive was yet available.

"The atmosphere in Muzaffarnagar continues to be tense, as people attribute the murders to communal forces," Vishwakarma said, adding that the police force is investigating the cases, and things are under control, for now.

Communal riots in the district last month claimed 47 lives.