MillenniumPost
Nation

Muzaffarnagar riots: Death toll touches 47, curfew eased

With the recovery of more bodies, the death toll in riot-hit Muzaffarnagar and adjoining areas touched 47 on Friday, while curfew was eased in the city for the fourth consecutive day.

Now the district administration has shifted its focus to bridge trust-deficit between the two communities in rural areas.

‘Though situation in the urban areas has improved considerably but in the rural areas doubts and suspicions with regard to different communities are still doing the round and now the administration is concentrating on restoring normalcy there,’ IG crime Ashish Gupta told newspersons here.

‘Police pickets have been set up in 547 villages in Muzaffarnagar and its surrounding areas, besides 536 mobile teams have been given the responsibility of three villages each,’ Gupta said.

Policemen in these teams will visit villages, meet the locals and try remove their doubts and also inform seniors about the ground situation, he said. The IG said that the toll in the riots today reached 47.

With this 39 people have been killed in Muzaffarnagar, three in Baghpat and Shamli and one each in Saharanpur and Meerut.

The IG said that two more bodies have been recovered from the canal in Muzaffarnagar and one in Meerut.
IG, Gupta said that curfew imposed in three police station areas of Muzaffarnagar--- Kotwali, Civil Lines and Nai Mandi, was eased for 12 hours since 7 AM in the morning.

No untoward incident was reported from any part of the district during the curfew relaxation period and normal traffic was seen on the roads with people coming out of their houses to attend to their daily works.

Gupta said that there are reports of an objectionable video being uploaded on social networking site Facebook, which is also being shared.

‘Talks are on with the officials of Facebook to get it removed and action will also be taken against those using it after collecting information about their IDs,’ the officer said.

As many as 187 people have been arrested so far in cases registered in connection with Muzaffarnagar clashes, although no arrest has been made in named FIRs filed regarding inflammatory speeches at the mahapanchayat on 7 September or for defying prohibitory orders, he said.

‘As many as 2,300 arm licenses have been canceled and 182 illegal arms recovered,’ the IG said, adding that process to invoke NSA on 11 others arrested on murder charges was on.
Next Story
Share it