Lucknow, September 11, 2013: The overall death toll in the communal violence which rocked Muzaffarnagar and incidents reported from Saharanpur, Baghpat and Meerut has risen to 35.

In a massive crackdown since late on Monday night, 975 persons were arrested in Muzaffarnagar town as well in the villages and 7000 others bound down under Section 107/16 of the Cr.PC. The police also seized 1820 arms and ammunition of different bore calibrations.

However, none of the Bharatiya Janata Party MLAs and other political leaders, who were among the 40 persons named in the FIR lodged at Sekherha police station in connection with Saturday’s bahu-beti samman va [and] Hindu bachao mahapanchayat , have been arrested, according to Ashish Gupta, the IG (Crime and STF).

Mr. Gupta told reporters that curfew in Muzaffarnagar was relaxed from 3.45 p.m. to 5.30 p.m. on Tuesday. Stating that the situation was returning to normal, he said no fresh incident was reported from anywhere in Muzaffarnagar district.

While Muzaffarnagar remained incident-free on Tuesday, in neighbouring Saharanpur, a vendor was fired upon by two motorcycle-borne youths. The victim, identified as Anwar, received bullet wounds on his shoulder and has been hospitalised. The assailants fled from the scene.

Home Secretary Kamal Saksena said the death toll in Muzaffarnagar was 32 and one person had died each in Saharanpur, Baghpat and Meerut.

According to him, three persons in Wajidpur in Baghpat and two in Rankhandi in Saharanpur district have been booked under the National Security Act (NSA). The number of injured persons in Muzaffarnagar was 67; Saharanpur, six; and Baghpat, seven.

Meanwhile, the Station House Officers (SHOs) of Bhauran Kalan and Mirapur police stations in Muzaffarnagar have been removed and sent to police lines for dereliction of duty.

Source: The Hindu, September 11, 2013