A meeting of the National Integration Council (NIC) has been called on September 23, by the Center to discuss how to combat communalism and casteism in the wake of the Muzaffarnagar riots which claimed atleast 40 lives.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will chair the meeting of the NIC, and is expected to discuss threadbare the growing incidents of communal violence.
Union ministers, Leaders of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, Chief Ministers of all States and Union Territories are members of the NIC, which has nearly 150 members.
The NIC meeting assumes significance as the country has witnessed 451 incidents of communal violence till August-end this year, in comparison to 410 incidents last year.
Meanwhile, normalcy returns in the riot struck areas of Muzxaffarnagar and the curfew has been relaxed from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the city.
Scores of senior officials, including Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Arun Kumar and others, are constantly camping in trouble-hit Muzaffarnagar.
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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.