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Muzaffarnagar riots: Curfew remains, shoot at sight orders in place

31 people have been killed in the riots, over three dozen have been injured

ANI Muzaffarnagar

Curfew today remained in force in riot-hit areas of Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar district, where 31 people have died and more than three dozen were injured in communal violence over the weekend.

The police were issued shoot at sight orders and they have filed case against over 1,000 unknown people and arrested over 90, including four BJP MLAs and a former Congress MP.

With tension running high in the area, the Centre had on Monday offered to provide additional paramilitary forces to Uttar Pradesh to assist the local administration in dealing with the situation.

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh government had constituted a one-member judicial commission to probe Muzaffarnagar violence.

 

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.

"A one-member judicial inquiry commission of Justice Vishnu Sahai has been constituted by the government to probe the Muzaffarnagar violence starting from Kawal incident on August 27 till September 9," State Home Secretary Kamal Saxena said.

However, amid sharp criticism from leaders of various opposition parties over the violence, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Monday described it as a political conspiracy to destabilize the Samajwadi Party (SP) Government in the state.

Yadav said the government led by him is committed to restore normalcy in the state, and added that the culprits will be brought to book.

"The incidents can be solved by community elders, but there are certain forces which don't want peace to prevail," he told media here.

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.

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First Published: Sep 10 2013 | 10:50 AM IST

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