10,000 preventive arrests over Muzaffarnagar violence

Lucknow: Over 10,000 preventive arrests have taken place following the communal violence in Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar district which was calm for the third consecutive day Thursday, officials said.

Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Arun Kumar said arrests were on and so far over 10,000 preventive arrests had been made till Wednesday.

As many as 2,000 licensed arms have been seized by the district administration and their licences cancelled.

“Things are looking up now and life is getting back to normal and no fresh case of violence has been reported,” Kumar said.

Police officials are carrying out door-to-door checking to identify “any remnants of mobs” and have since confiscated a large amount of ammunition, including 41 cartridges of AK-47.

Muzaffarnagar district witnessed communal violence last weekend that left 38 people dead and compelled the authorities to call in the army.

With calm prevailing for the third consecutive day in Uttar Pradesh’s violence-hit Muzaffarnagar district, authorities moved on to identifying the victims, their lost property and began work on rehabilitation.

Officials told IANS that till now their priority was to contain the communal violence and the situation thereafter. But now their focus has shifted to ensuring proper and adequate supply of essential items, reopening of educational institutions and identifying the victims.

“The first half of the week has gone in controlling the violence, we are now focused on bringing life back to normal and the process of identifying people affected by the riots — deaths, injuries, and loss to property be it home or commercial establishments,” an official said.

Home Secretary Kamal Saxena said 10 shelter camps for the displaced in the riots have been set up in which roughly 10,000 people have taken refuge. The relaxation in curfew has also taken place, he added.

Meanwhile, under attack over his government’s handling of the Muzaffarnagar riots, SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav on Thursday rejected any parallel with the post-Godhra 2002 riots in Gujarat and also played down the face-off with sulking party colleague Azam Khan.

Mulayam promised “justice” for the victims of the riots and “strict action” against the guilty, claiming there was “no justice” in Gujarat.

Denying any rift with Khan, a senior minister and the Samajwadi Party’s muslim face, Mulayam said Khan can never be “upset” with him.

Triggering speculation of a rift in the SP, Khan skipped the ruling party’s two-day national executive meet here after he was reportedly unhappy with his own government’s handling of the riots that has claimed the lives of 40 persons. “There was no justice in Gujarat but justice will be done in UP…I have never done the politics of caste and religion. Strict action will be taken against the guilty. We will provide the maximum possible assistance to them (the riot victims),” Mulayam told reporters at the end of the meet.

Mulayam, who was flanked by senior party leaders including Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, was responding to a question on the remarks of RLD chief Ajit Singh that SP was doing what Modi had done in Gujarat to polarise voters. Singh had earlier said, “If you go back to what Modi has done in Gujarat was basically that he did not act. He stopped police from taking any action and that is what happened in UP.”

Rejecting the charge, Mulayam said his party’s government will take “such strong action (against the culprits) that they will never dare to repeat it”. He said the state government has taken into custody many people and and will arrest all those who are on the run.

Mulayam while seeking to mollify Khan said, “Azam Khan can never be upset with me.”

The stand taken by Mulayam was in contrast to the party National General Secretary Ramgopal Yadav’s remark earlier in the day that either Khan should have attended the meet or resigned. Ramgopal had also said that Khan’s absence was not felt at the meet. The SP supremo said the party knew that why Azam did not attend the meeting. “Our’s is a democratic party and not an autocratic one,” he said.

Asked about some SP leaders speaking against Khan, Mulayam said that whatever statement need to be given had been made. (Agencies)