UP police chief Devraj Nagar, who rushed to Muzaffarnagar on Wednesday after the killings, said security personnel should have ensured that such incidents did not occur. “Certainly there seem to be lapses on the part of the police,” Nagar told reporters at Muzaffarnagar.
He, however, said all measures would be adopted to make sure that peace prevailed in the district. Action would be taken against the police officials if any laxity on their part was established. Nagar held a meeting with the civil and police officials and reviewed the situation, according to sources here.
The Union Home Ministry has sought a report from the UP government on the fresh bout of violence in Muzaffarnagar with the United Progressive Alliance government becoming more vigilant to ensure that the situation does slip out of hand as it did last time owing to negligence on the part of the Akhilesh Yadav government. “We are keeping a watch on the situation. We have also sought a report from UP,” Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde told reporters in New Delhi.
When asked about the need to send additional paramilitary forces to contain communal violence in the western UP, Shinde said the Centre was ready to offer all help to maintain law and order. “A decision on sending additional paramilitary forces will be taken after we receive the report,” he clarified.
Police officials said in Lucknow on Thursday that security personnel had been deployed in strength both in the urban and rural areas in the district to maintain law and order and senior officials were camping in the district to monitor the situation.
Security forces have been patrolling the troubled areas, the officials said, adding that the situation was tense but under control.
Three persons were killed in clashes between two communities at Mohammedpur village in the district on Wednesday. One person was killed in Fugana area when he was fired upon by unidentified assailants. Eight persons have been arrested in this connection, while cases have been registered against 15 people, the officials said.
An irate mob later laid siege to the Bhouri Kalan police station demanding the immediate arrest of the culprits and the cops had a tough time taking possession of the bodies to send them for postmortem.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav said that there appeared to be a deliberate attempt to foment trouble in Muzaffarnagar and added that stern action would be taken against the trouble-mongers. Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav also warned that the government would “crush anti-social” elements.
At least 62 people were killed and over 100 injured in the communal riots that had rocked Muzaffarnagar, Meerut and Shamli districts in the region last month. Thousands of people, who had fled from their homes following the violence, are still living in the relief camps.
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