Jat-dominated villages in the riot-torn Muzaffarnagar district are on the boil once again after the arrest of a youth on charges of setting on fire the motorcycle of a person belonging to a particular community a few days back at Kakda village, which was rocked by large-scale communal violence in September last year.

A large number of people, including womenfolk, came out of their homes and chased and clashed with policemen when they entered Kakda village to arrest the alleged culprit, Neetu.

Jat leaders alleged that the police was arresting innocent youths and declared they will convene a panchayat to discuss the matter and chalk out their future strategy.

“We will not tolerate indiscriminate arrests,” said Sanjiv Baliyan, a Jat leader from the district.

The people of the Jat villages have warned police against arresting the youths “falsely implicated” in cases of rioting.

The mob also damaged a vehicle of a BSP legislator Noorsalim Rana. Those sitting in the vehicle were rescued by the police.

Arrest of the perpetrators of the Muzaffarnagar riots has become a big challenge for the police.

The police have not been able to arrest the persons accused of rioting. Of the 22 gang-rape accused, only one has been arrested so far. The rest are absconding.
Over 6,000 people had been charged in 564 cases registered in different police stations in Muzaffarnagar in connection with the September riots.

There were huge protests against the registration of cases also. A special investigating team is probing the communal violence that had killed 62 people and left over 100 injured.

Thousands of displaced riot victims are still living in tents at relief camps and  refused to return to their native villages fearing for their lives.