Akhilesh Yadav reaches Muzaffarnagar amid tight security

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday arrived in Muzaffarnagar amidst tight security to meet the victims of communal violence.

 

The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, is also expected to visit Muzaffarnagar on Monday.

 

Media reports quoted PMO sources as saying that Dr. Singh will make an on the spot assessment of the situation in the violence-hit district.

 

Dr. Singh, who is expected to visit the hospitals where the injured have been admitted, is expected to discuss the ground situation with Akhilesh Yadav.

 

The Prime Minister had earlier talked to the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, and condemned the violence in Muzaffarnagar.

 

Expressing his grief and shock over the loss of innocent lives, Dr. Singh had assured the Chief Minister that the Centre will extend all required assistance to the state government in tackling the situation.

 

A meeting of the National Integration Council (NIC) has been called by the Centre on September 23 to discuss how to combat communalism and casteism in wake of the Muzaffarnagar riots which claimed at least 40 lives.

 

Dr. Singh, who will chair the meeting of the NIC, is expected to discuss threadbare the growing incidents of communal violence.

 

Scores of senior officials, including Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Arun Kumar and others, are constantly camping in trouble-hit Muzaffarnagar.

 

The Uttar Pradesh Government has constituted a one-member judicial commission to probe Muzaffarnagar violence, which claimed at least 40 lives.

 

The commission, which would mainly look into administrative lapses, if any, in controlling the violence, would submit its report to the government within two months.

 

Violence broke out in the Kawal area of Muzaffarnagar on Saturday when members of a community returning from a panchayat meeting in Naglabadhod, three kilometres from Kawal, clashed with members of another community.