The one member judicial commission headed by Justice (retd) Vishnu Sahay, which probed into the worst ever communal riots in Muzaffarnagar has given clean chit to the political leaders, while holding the then SSP of Muzaffarnagar Subash Chandra Dube and the Intelligence Inspector responsible for the 2013 riots which had claimed more than 68 lives and rendered over 50,000 people homeless.
The commission has given clean chit to the Akhilesh Yadav Government. The brief of the commission was `to ascertain facts regarding the communal riot in Muzaffarnagar and the causes which led to the incidents in question.
The commission listing the 14 causes of riots has also held the print media and social media responsible for the riots. Both the mediums carried unconfirmed, unsubstantiated and exaggagarated inflammatory reports and also spread rumours which snowballed into communal inferno.
The probe and the action taken report by the Samajwadi Party Government was tabled in the State assembly on Sunday. The actual report of the commission is of 700, pages. The commission also termed the local authorities as incompetence leading to the riots but in later part of the report also praised for controlling the riots.
The report said the transfer of the then district magistrate Surendra Singh and SSP Manjil Saini on the day two when Jat youth Sachin and Gaurav were murdered on August 27, 2013, enraged the Jat community which ultimately triggered the communal riots. Commission said not 8 but 14 persons arrested in connection with the murder of 2 Jat youth were let off.
They were neither named in the FIR nor were they suspects. But letting them off by the police sent the message that the administration was partisan and was working under the pressure of the muslim community. This caused deep resentment in the Jat community.
The Government in its action taken report has ordered initiating of departmental probe into the lapses of Subhash Chandra Dubey in the Muzaffarnagar riots. An explanation has been called from the Intelligence Inspector Prabal Pratap Singh over his role and lapses.
The Government has also sought explanation from the then District Magistrate Kaushal Raj Sharma on two points—why he could not assess the crowd at the mahapachayat and why no video recording was made of the inflammatory speeches made by the political and religious leaders during the panchyat.
On the role of the BJP MlA Sangeet Som for allegedly uploading the inflammatory video clip on YouTube, the Commission said, “FIR under Section 153 A , 120 B and IT Act has already been lodged against Sangeet Som and 229 others, so no further action can be taken against these persons as per the constitution.”
Also as far as Muslim panchayat of August 30, 2013 is concerned a case against politicians Kadir Rana, Noor Salim Rana, Rashid Siddique, Ehsan Qureshi and others has been already registered and hence no further action can be taken. Similarly on September 7, 2013, the Hindu Mahapanchayat was held. It has been alleged that hate speeches were made but since no video recording was done hence no one can be directly held responsible for hate speeches.
In most cases of the panchayat, local intelligence failed to estimate the turnout of the people. The commission said that media’s role in the riots that spread to Muzaffarnagar, Shamli, Baghpat, Saharanpur and Meerut was questionable but no specific media organisation has been identified in the report.
The one member Sahay Commission had submitted its final report comprising of 700 pages and in six parts, in September last year to the State Government.
BJP MlA Sangeet Singh Som, who was booked under National Security Act (NSA) along with another party MlA Suresh Rana for the riots, had already questioned the probe report terming it as ``biased report’’and said it was a probe done by the Samajwadi Party. “When we were not given an oppopurtunity by the Commission to place before it our side of the story then how can it blame us for the riots,” he alleged while charging that it was a one-sided probe meant to save the ruling party.
The one-man judicial commission was set up on September 9, 2013, 13 days after the riots broke out, and it took over two years to submit its report after six extensions. The commission cross-examined 377 people, including 100 senior officials, during the course of inquiry.