MHA asks UP govt to send 12-hourly reports

With violence continuing in Muzaffarnagar, the Union Home Ministry today asked the Uttar Pradesh government to send situation report every 12 hours till normalcy returns in riot-hit areas.
The Centre also asked the state government to deploy enough forces in rural areas of Muzaffarnagar district where violence is yet to be contained fully, a senior official told PTI.
The central directive came following continuing violence in Muzaffarnagar where death toll reached 31.
The Ministry told the state government that if necessary it was ready to provide more central paramilitary personnel to restore normalcy but it must deploy additional forces in violence-affected villages in Muzaffarnagar and Shamli districts.

Tension prevailing in the rural areas was a matter of serious concern and this needed to be curtailed, the official said.
The 12-hourly situation reports would help the central government to assess the prevailing situation, he said, adding steps could be taken accordingly.
The death toll in Muzaffarnagar and adjoining areas rose to 31, with authorities arresting 200 rioters and stopping Union Minister Ajit Singh and BJP MPs including Ravi Shankar Prasad from visiting the troubled district.