2013 Muzaffarnagar riots: Mayawati demands withdrawal of cases against all political leaders

The BSP chief's statement came after the Yogi government decided to withdraw the cases lodged against three sitting BJP MLAs.
BSP supremo Mayawati (Photo | PTI)
BSP supremo Mayawati (Photo | PTI)
LUCKNOW: The politics over the communal flare-up in Muzaffarnagar, which had rocked western UP in 2013, has intensified yet again after seven years of the riots which had left 67 people dead and thousands homeless.

While the Yogi government has decided to withdraw the cases lodged against three sitting BJP MLAs and the process for the same has begun, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati has demanded the withdrawal of cases against everyone in connection with the Muzaffarnagar communal violence.

The three sitting BJP MLAs against whom the cases are proposed to be withdrawn include Suresh Rana, Shamli MLA, Kapil Dev Agarwal, MLA from Muzaffarnagar Sadar, and Sangeet Som, a cabinet minister and MLA from Sardhana.

All of them were accused of making inflammatory speeches at Mahapanchayat held in Nagla Mandor village in Muzaffarnagar district in September 2013 following which the riots had allegedly broken out.
While taking to Twitter, the BSP chief has demanded that the way the BJP government in UP was taking the cases back against its MLAs, it should also withdraw cases lodged against all others in connection with the violence.

Mayawati said that if the cases lodged against BJP leaders due to political rivalry were being taken back, it should be ensured that such cases lodged against leaders of all other parties were also withdrawn.

Moreover, besides the three MLAs, right-wing leader Sadhvi Prachi was also booked in this case lodged at Shekheda police station.

According to Rajiv Sharma, the government lawyer, a petition has been filed in court number 5 on behalf of the state government to withdraw the cases against the three MLAs. However, the application had yet to be admitted and heard by the court, he said. The lawyer added that the application was moved on the directives of the district magistrate.

It may be recalled that two youth --  Sachin and Gaurav -- were beaten to death by a mob in Kaval village on August 27, 2013. The two were accused of killing a young man named Shahnawaz Qureshi. The murder of Sachin and Gaurav led to a mahapanchayat which was convened by the Jats of Muzaffarnagar and adjoining districts at Nagla Mandor village on September 7, 2013.

The FIR, lodged by Shekheda Police Station in-charge Charan Singh Yadav, spoke about the three BJP MLAs Sangeet Som, Kapil Dev Aggarwal, Suresh Rana, and Sadhvi Prachi along with others of inciting people against a particular community by giving inflammatory speeches.

As per the reports, the people returning after the Mahapanchayat attacked people from other community after which riots started.

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