Muzaffarnagar violence: Ex-UP min to be produced before court

Former Uttar Pradesh minister Swami Omvesh, who was arrested in Bijnore for allegedly inciting violence in Muzaffarnagar through inflammatory speeches, will be produced before a local court here today.

Omvesh was arrested on September 23 from Bijnore for trying to hold a panchayat without taking permission from the district administration there.

The ex-minister, who is being brought from Bijnore, will be produced before the court of additional chief judicial magistrate in connection with cases related to Muzaffarnagar violence.

Omvesh was among the 16 politicians and community leaders who had been issued arrest warrants on September 18 for violating prohibitory orders and provoking communal tension by inflammatory speeches in different meetings in the district.

The communal clashes in Muzaffarnagar and adjoining areas claimed several lives and displaced over 40,000 people.