UP did not handle riots well, says Congress

The Congress Wednesday targeted the Uttar Pradesh government, saying it did not handle properly the recent communal violence in Muzaffarnagar district.

Over 40 people lost their lives in the communal violence.

"The Samajwadi Party government did not handle the situation well," Congress spokesperson Meem Afzal told reporters.

"The focus now should be on bridging the gap between the communities and rehabilitating the displaced persons," he said.

He said around 20,000 of the 40,000 displaced people in the recent communal violence in Muzaffarnagar were still living in the relief camps.

"They are fearful of going back to their homes. The priority should be to bring their confidence back," he said.

Most of these people were Muslims, though members of the Jat community too have suffered in the process.

He denied media reports that the Congress leadership, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, party chief Sonia Gandhi and vice president Rahul Gandhi, who visited the riot affected areas, met only victims from a particular community.

"You probably published their pictures only with one community members," Afzal told media persons.

Though the Congress spokesperson demanded a probe into the violence, he did not specifically seek a Central Bureau of Investigation probe.

"The state has to probe. The state government recommends a CBI probe," he said.