Muzaffarnagar frenzy toll rises to 26, Uttar Pradesh governor B L Joshi blames state govt for failing to maintain peace in the state
MUZAFFARNAGAR/LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh governor B L Joshi sends a report to centre on Muzaffarnagar violence. In his report governor Joshi blames state govt for failing to maintain peace in state. SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav intervenes and holds meeting with officers along with UP chief minister Akhilesh Singh Yadav.
The spiral of violence triggered by killings last month spread to Muzaffarnagar's far flung rural areas on Sunday, killing 15 more people, taking the number of those consumed by the conflagration to 26. With more than 40 people injured, many critically, the toll could increase, officials said.
The Army staged flag marches in several places in the district, and thousands of anti-riot police personnel were deployed to restore order, but the odds of patrolling outlying villages came in the way of controlling the frenzy until 2pm, by which time much blood was shed.
Among the worst-hit villages was Kutba, where four people were killed, with mobs setting a place of worship on fire and gutting several shops and vehicles, said the police. Thousands of people sought refuge in police stations while others hid in sugarcane fields and fighting pitched battles across Muzaffarnagar district, 130km from Delhi, on Sunday.
At least 52 people have been arrested for the clashes that have been brewing since a boy was killed by two brothers in Kawal village on August 27 after he allegedly tried to molest their sister.
'Firing can be ordered to check riots'
In one place Army jawans were fired at after which the soldiers returned fire. UP home secretary Kamal Saxena said all directives have been given to control the violence. "If necessary, firing can be done," he said. All entry points to Muzaffarnagar including UP-Uttarakhand borders have been sealed to prevent rioters and inciters from entering the district.
Intelligence inputs apprehend the possibility of violence spreading to Meerut, Ghaziabad and Saharanpur if unchecked, and the UP government has tightened security in these districts as also in Saharanpur and Bijnore after communal tension was reported from these districts. "We've asked officials to check rumor-mongering about communal incidents," said a top administration official.
"Since many of the injured have suffered multiple, deep gun-shot and stab wounds on their vital parts, chances of their survival are low. An increase in death toll can't be ruled out," a senior medical officer in Muzaffarnagar district hospital told TOI. Of those injured in government hospitals, the condition of nine is stated to be critical.
Officials said apart from the Army, 10,000 Provincial Armed Constabulary personnel, 1,300 CRPF and 1,200 Rapid Action Force jawans have been deployed.
"As the violence is going on in several villages, it is taking time to defuse the situation," UP's additional director general of police Arun Kumar told agencies after taking stock of the affected areas.
A senior IAS officer said indefinite curfew continued in Muzaffarnagar's three communal-prone areas, Nai Mandi, Civil Lines, and Shahar Kotwali, after 11 people including IBN-7's part-time reporter Rajesh Verma (44) were killed on Saturday. He said more than 50 people were arrested for violating the curfew orders.
"We've booked them for breaching peace," said a senior police officer. The body of Rajesh Verma, shot in the line of duty in Shahar Kotwali by unidentified people, was cremated here on Sunday.
In Lucknow, Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh held meeting with chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, chief secretary Jawed Usmani and principal secretary, home, RM Srivastava. The government dispatched eight Army columns to Muzaffarnagar and kept one each in Shamli and Meerut as reserves.
"The Army has formed the first line of security with the police, while 28 companies of state and Central paramilitary forces have been deputed to other trouble hit areas," said Arun Kumar. At least three police circles of Muzaffarnagar city remained under curfew on Saturday.
Communal tension hit Muzaffarnagar after a youth was murdered by two youth from another community following alleged eve-teasing in Kawal on August 27. The next day, BJP gave a call for strike in the district. Incidents of violence were reported during the strike. Later, police booked 229 people, including BJP MLA Sangit Some, for allegedly sharing on the internet sensitive photographs related to the Kawal violence. A fake video of a mob beating up two youth to death also surfaced on YouTube.
Within days, the Centre issued an alert to seven states, including UP, warning against communal polarization and violence ahead of general elections. UP has seen a spike in communal violence since the Samajwadi Party came to power in March last year.
Muzaffarnagar frenzy toll rises to 26, Uttar Pradesh governor B L Joshi blames state govt for failing to maintain peace in the state - The Times of India
