SIT chargesheets 225 people in Muzaffarnagar riots

MUZAFFARNAGAR: The Uttar Pradesh government constituted Special Investigation Team has chargesheeted at least 225 people so far in connection with the September riots in Muzaffarnagar and neighbouring areas, police said today.

The SIT has chargesheeted 225 people in 28 riot cases so far while 28 complainants in other cases could not be traced, said Manoj Jha, Additional SP, SIT.

Final report in nine cases has been submitted before a local court due to lack of evidence, he added.

The SIT has sent a list of 522 accused in different riot cases and asked the local police to arrest them.

Arrest warrants against 89 accused in 48 murder cases have been issued by the court while proceedings against three accused have been initiated, Jha said.

Meanwhile, SIT sources said that not even one out of the 27 accused in six rape cases have been arrested so far.

The investigating team, however, has recorded statements of all the six victims, they said.

The sources also said that no accused has been identified yet in the killing of journalist Rajesh Verma, who was shot dead while covering the riots.

SIT is investigating a total of 571 cases in which 6,386 people were named, including 538 cases of Muzaffarnagar, 27 of Shamli, two of Baghpat, one of Meerut and Saharanpur each.

Over 60 people were killed and thousands left homeless during the riots in Muzaffarnagar and adjoining areas in September.