UP govt to withdraw cases against Muzaffarnagar riot accused BJP lawmakers

A senior BJP leader said that the three MLAs had been implicated in false cases by the then Samajwadi Party govt

The Uttar Pradesh government has decided to withdraw riot cases against three BJP lawmakers, including two ministers, who were accused in 2013 Muzaffarnagar communal violence.

According to the sources in the government, an application seeking the withdrawal of riot-related cases against saffron party MLAs Sangeet Som, cane minister Suresh Rana and Minister of State Kapil Dev Agarwal was filed in the district court in Muzaffarnagar.

"The application was filed in the court of an additional district judge. The court is yet to hear the application," sources said.

A senior BJP leader said that the three MLAs had been implicated in false cases by the then Samajwadi Party (SP) government. ''These MLAs are victims of political vendetta,'' the BJP leader said on Thursday.

The SP, however, slammed the state government over its move to withdraw the cases. ''It will send the wrong message in the society....people, who are close to the powers that be, will think that they can get away even after perpetrating crimes.....the MLAs will be declared innocent by the court if they have not done anything wrong,'' said an SP leader.

Sixty-two people were killed and thousands of others were displaced in the communal violence, which flared up in Muzaffarnagar after two youths belonging to the 'Jat' community were beaten to death by a mob at Kawal village in the district in August 2013. The three MLAs had allegedly delivered inflammatory speeches in the 'mahapanchayat' convened after the incident.