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Muzaffarnagar Riots
Over 500 persons were booked after protests erupted in Budhana town here over rumours that a youth arrested for allegedly making an "objectionable" social media post against Islam had been released by police, officials said on Sunday, adding that security has been tightened in the town. The protestors were booked for allegedly raising "objectionable slogans", spreading rumours and pelting stones at the shop of Nikhil Tyagi, they said. Tyagi was was arrested Saturday night over his alleged "objectionable comments" while protesters blocked the Kandhla road in Budhana when they heard that he released by the police, officials said. Hundreds of people who had gathered for the protest were booked for allegedly violating the model code of conduct and prohibitory orders in Muzaffarnagar district that has been enforced in view of the by-elections in Meerapur assembly constituency. Senior Superintendent of Police Abhishek Singh told reporters on Sunday that police have registered two cases .
A local court here has acquitted seven accused in the Muzaffarnagar riots case due to lack of evidence, a counsel said on Sunday. The Special Investigation Team has filed charge sheets in 175 of 510 riot cases, but only 21 people have been convicted in three cases so far. More than 60 people were killed and over 40,000 people displaced in the communal riots of 2013 in Muzaffarnagar and Shamli districts. Bittu, Praveen, Bablu, Pankaj, Pintu, Narender, and Anil were acquitted on Sunday. Additional District and Sessions Judge Kanishk Kumar said the prosecution failed to prove its story in the case. Defence counsel Rahul Chaudhry said the complainant and other witnesses did not support the prosecution's story and turned hostile. According to the FIR filed in the matter, rioters barged into the Bahawdi village house of one Shakir and robbed cash and jewellery. The incident occurred under the Phugana Police Station jurisdiction on September 8, 2013. The SIT had filed a charge sheet a
A local court has acquitted six people accused of promoting religious enmity and committing other offences during the 2013 communal riots in Muzaffarnagar district due to insufficient evidence. Umesh, Devendra, Pintu, Lalut Kumar, Vinod and Arvind were booked by the special investigation team (SIT) probing the riots cases under sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race), 147 (rioting), 392 (robbery), and 436 (mischief by fire) of the IPC. Additional District Sessions Judge Nishant Dev acquitted the six accused due to lack of evidence, defence counsel Chandra Vir Singh said. The SIT had filed a chargesheet in the court on the basis of a complaint by Kasimuddin, a riot victim, who alleged that rioters had entered his home in Simbhalka village under Shamli Kotwali in the district on September 8, 2013 and set it on fire after looting all the valuables. Over 60 people died in the communal clashes and 40,000 were displaced.