Bringing legal proceedings in the Village Mohammadpur Raisingh riot-related case to a close more than a decade after the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots, the court of additional district and sessions judge (ADJ) in Muzaffarnagar district acquitted 23 accused, citing lack of evidence, on Saturday. They had been accused of murder, arson, vandalism and looting.
The verdict was delivered by ADJ Court No. 4 in connection with violence that took place in Village Mohammadpur Raisingh under the Bhora Kalan police station limits.
The case pertained to the large-scale communal violence that erupted in the district on September 7, 2013, in which several people lost their lives. On September 8, a mob allegedly entered Mohammadpur Raisingh village, raised religious slogans and attacked houses belonging to members of another community.
According to the prosecution, the mob vandalised and looted several houses before setting them on fire. During the violence, a villager named Raheesuddin was killed.
The police had filed a chargesheet against 27 accused in the case. However, during the course of the trial, four of the accused — Praveen, Nakul, Bablu and Suraj — died, reducing the number of accused facing trial to 23.
The first FIR in the case was lodged by sub-inspector Ganga Prasad against 1,300 unidentified persons for murder. The FIR also mentioned that vehicles belonging to police personnel were set on fire by the mob. Subsequently, Raheesuddin’s son, Hanif, filed a second FIR at Bhora Kalan police station, accusing the mob of spreading religious frenzy, murder and rioting.
{{/usCountry}}The first FIR in the case was lodged by sub-inspector Ganga Prasad against 1,300 unidentified persons for murder. The FIR also mentioned that vehicles belonging to police personnel were set on fire by the mob. Subsequently, Raheesuddin’s son, Hanif, filed a second FIR at Bhora Kalan police station, accusing the mob of spreading religious frenzy, murder and rioting.
{{/usCountry}}Senior defence counsel Satyendra Kumar Singh said that the case was heard by ADJ Kanishk Kumar Singh. After examining the evidence and witness testimonies, the court concluded that the prosecution failed to establish the charges beyond reasonable doubt.
The accused acquitted by the court include Vicky, Badal, Madan, Jaynarayan, Brajveer, Vinod, Kala, Praveen, Anil, Subhash, Sanjeev, Karan, Sher Singh, Rishipal, Sahansarpal, Pramod, Jagpal, Prempal, Pappu, Neetu, Bhoora and Harendra — all residents of Mohammadpur Raisingh.
The court also noted that one of the accused was lodged in jail in connection with a non-bailable warrant (NBW) in another case and could not be produced before the court.