With two more causalities reported from trouble prone areas of Muzaffanagar and one from neighbouring Shamli district on Monday, the death toll in the communal violence rose to 31. However government maintained only 30 deaths.
The administration is still struggling hard to contain stray incidents of violence reported particularly from the rural areas. The local police so far claimed to have arrested more than 200 persons in connection with riots, and they also conducted search operations with the help of army to seize all the weapons including the licensee whose licenses were already terminated by the district magistrate in wake of violence.
Meanwhile Union Minister Ajit Singh and two Party MPs along with BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad were also detained in Ghaziabad while they were on way to Muzaffarnagar to visit the trouble prone areas on Monday morning.
The death toll in the violence in Muzaffarnagar and other areas has climbed to 30," confirmed ADG (law and order) Arun Kumar, who maintained that the situation was completely under control. He said that the forces which comprised of 10,000 Provincial Armed Constabulary personnel, 1300 CRPF men and 1200 Rapid Action Force personnel apart from army have been camping in the district to maintain peace. He claimed that they were making efforts to round-up the anti-social elements responsible for Saturday’s violence and so far more than 200 persons were arrested. Several cases were also registered regarding the violence in which over 1000 unidentified persons which included BJP legislative Party
leader Hukum Singh, party MlAs Suresh Rana, Bhartendu, Sangeet Som, and former Congress MP Harendra Malik, BKU national president Naresh Tokait were booked for violating prohibitory orders . Station House Officer of Phugana police station, Omveer Sirohi was also placed under suspension after he was held responsible for not taking appropriate step.
Meanwhile sources said that violence also spread to neighbouring district of Shamli on Monday where a 40- year-old Imam of a mosque, Maulana Umar Din, was shot dead when he was on way to Pumali hamlet of Butrada in Babri locality. One more person was stabbed to death in Meerpur locality besides one more causality was reported from Muzaffarnagar on Monday taking the toll to 31. The army along with local police carried out a flag march on the second day to maintain peace.