2013 Muzaffarnagar riot case: Courtacquits 22 linked to murder, arson

Agra: Over a decade after the deadly Muzaffarnagar riots, a local court on Saturday acquitted 22 accused in a case involving murder, arson and loot in the district's Mohammadpur Raisingh village due to "lack of evidence". Delivering the verdict, the court observed that "prosecution could not establish the charges beyond a reasonable doubt". Four other accused died during the course of trial.The case was related to the killing of Raisuddin, 40, in 2013. Raisuddin was "murdered" with sharp-edged objects during the violence -- one of the worst recorded in UP's history. The prosecution had claimed that a large mob went on a rampage in that village, setting houses on fire, vandalising a mosque and attacking police personnel deployed at the spot.According to defence counsel Satyendra Kumar Singh, sub-inspector Ganga Prasad (Bhorakala thana) had lodged an FIR on Sept 8, 2013, under multiple IPC sections, including 302 (murder), claiming that a large number of people attacked the locality. Motorcycles belonging to the SI and a constable were allegedly set ablaze at that time, purportedly destroying bail and other official papers.Initially, police registered the case against 45 accused. After investigation, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) filed a chargesheet against 26. All related FIRs were clubbed together and tried as a single case before the local court.After hearing arguments from both sides, the court acquitted 22 accused -- all residents of Mohammadpur Raisingh. Incidentally, this is one of the many cases related to the riots, with several accused acquitted in the past largely "due to lack of evidence".Communal riots in Muzaffarnagar and Shamli erupted after Shahnawaz, 25, was stabbed to death on Aug 27, 2013, in Kawal village, allegedly by eight men during a clash. Soon after, a mob caught two of the alleged attackers — Sachin and Gaurav — and killed them. The chain of events led to widespread violence in which at least 62 people were killed and over 50,000 displaced.