An NGO today alleged in the Supreme Court that Uttar Pradesh government failed to arrest the criminal elements involved in the recent communal clash in Muzaffarnagar and adjoining districts.
A three-judge bench, headed by chief justice P Sathasivam, was told that women were subjected to rape and several houses burnt during the riot but the perpetrators were moving freely.
"The government's own data shows that in the cases of murder, arson, grievous injuries and rape, 80 per cent of the people named in over 600 FIRs lodged have not been arrested," senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, appearing for the NGO, ANHAD, submitted before the bench also comprising Justices Ranjana Prakash Desai and Justice Ranjan Gogoi.
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Gonsalves claimed the state government's records show that the reported death of children and elderly have been confirmed by the government's inquiry reports.
The bench, which is hearing a batch of petitions seeking an independent probe by CBI or a Special Investigating Team (SIT), was told that the reports of NGOs and the National Human Rights Commission, the National Commission for Minorities and the Asian Human Rights Commission show that the situation remains unchanged.
Gonsalves said this to the court in the course of the hearing of two petitions - one by Mohammad Haroon and eight other residents of Muzaffarnagar and the other by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) that had sought a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe--into the communal flare-up and also for providing immediate relief to the victims of the riots.
Advocate M L Sharma, appearing for some victims, alleged members of a particular community were the beneficiary of the compensation provided by the state government.
The hearing will resume on February 5 when senior advocate Rajiv Dhawan would make submission on behalf of Uttar Pradesh government.
