LUCKNOW: Ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, posters recalling the communal riots that rocked Muzaffarnagar and other parts of western Uttar Pradesh in 2013 surfaced near the city’s bus stand early Monday morning, prompting police to remove them and launch an investigation into those behind the move.
The posters were accompanied by newspaper clippings which appeared on the day that marked 13 years since the riots erupted.
As per the police authorities, the Muzaffarnagar police swung into action and removed the posters immediately after getting a whiff of them.
Now, efforts are on to identify the people behind the alleged mischief while trying to ascertain the motive behind the move.
According to the Senior Superintendent of Police, Muzaffarnagar, Sanjai Kumar, the miscreants were caught on CCTV getting off a bus on Monday and pasting posters. He said that the SP, city, was directed to probe the poster episode and submit a report.
He added that CCTV footage from cameras installed near the site was collected, and efforts were underway to identify the persons seen getting off the bus. Police suspect the involvement of two to three persons in the episode.
Similar posters were reportedly seen in other districts as well, including Aligarh, with photographs circulating on social media.
Superintendent of Police, Aligarh, Aditya Bansal, said officers had come across photographs of the alleged site, but physical verification revealed nothing there.
The violence in Muzaffarnagar and neighbouring districts had left more than 65 people dead and 40,000 displaced in 2013.