2013 Muzaffarnagar riots: Yogi Adityanath government initiates process on withdrawal of 131 riots cases

New Delhi, 24 Mar 2018 [Fik/News Sources]: The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has started the process on withdrawal of 131 cases lodged against Hindus in connection with the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots in which over 60 Muslims were killed and hundreds of them were forced to flee.

He has sought a legal opinion from the State’s Law department in this regard.

After the infamous riots during the Akhilesh Yadav regime, over 500 cases were lodged against 1450 persons at different police stations in Muzaffarnagar and Shamli districts in Western Uttar Pradesh. About two dozen cases were registered under Sections 302 and 307 of the IPC while others were charged under Sections 153 A for promoting enmity on religious ground, 295 A for insult to a religion and its beliefs, arson and loot.

The State Law department had sent letters to the District Magistrates of Muzaffarnagar and Shamil on February 23 seeking the status of cases and their opinion on the possibility of withdrawal of cases on the directions of the Yogi Adityanath government.

The Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had issued the directions to start the process of withdrawal of cases against Hindus after a high-level Khap Panchayat delegation, led by former Union minister and BJP MP Sanjeev Baliyan, had met him on February 5 and requested him of withdrawing 179 cases lodged against Hindus out of vendetta by the previous government.

Baliyan, BJP MLA from Budhana Umesh Malik, State Sugarcane Minister Suresh Rana, controversial BJP MLA from Sardhana Sangeet Som are among those who are facing charges in connection with the Muzaffarnagar riots.

Baliyan had reportedly told the Chief Minister that these cases have caused a discontent among party workers in the

Sources in the Law department claimed that they have received opinion from the DMs and SSPs of the two district and they were examining the legal aspect before taking a final decision.

Earlier, the Yogi Adityanath government had withdrawn as many as 20,000 cases against politicians, including cases against him and Union minister of State Shiv Pratap Shukla.