To dispel the allegation of bias in enforcing law and order after the communal riots in Muzaffarnagar and four other districts last month, the UP government on 17 October informed the Supreme Court that 128 communal incidents in 21 days resulted in death of 62 persons. Placing the state government’s affidavit before a bench of Chief Justice P Sathasivam and Justices Ranjana P Desai and Ranjan Gogoi, senior advocate Rajeev Dhavan said though 99 communal incidents took place in Muzaffarnagar, stray incidents had started from August 27 and continued till September 16 in all five districts.
In these riots, 46 Muslims and 16 Hindus died, of which 37 Muslims and 15 Hindus died in Muzaffarnagar. Other districts affected by the riots were Shamli, Meerut, Baghpat and Saharanpur. The state’s affidavit, filed through additional advocate general Ravi P Mehrotra, said, “An analysis of the said 128 communal cases shows that a total of 615 Hindus and 261 Muslims were named in the FIRs. Names of another 192 persons have come to light in the course of investigation. Thus, a total of 1,068 persons’ names have come to light for their alleged involvement in the 128 cases lodged in five districts.”