Fresh tension in Muzaffarnagar, Meerut over murders

Two murders, one in Meerut and the other in Muzaffarnagar, renewed tension in riot-hit western Uttar pradesh on Wednesday.

Two murders stoked fresh tension in western Uttar Pradesh's Meerut and Muzaffarnagar towns, areas that witnessed communal riots which claimed 48 lives and displaced 50,000 people last month, on Wednesday.

In Meerut, three unidentified motorcycle borne assailants stabbed a person to death after asking his name near Jamalpur village under Inchauli police station on Wednesday night.

The brother of deceased also sustained injuries while trying to protect him.

An angry mob sat in protest with the corpse of the man and disrupted traffic on the Lawar-Jamalpur road and also tried to vandalise the police chowki at Lawar.

They moved only after senior police officials intervened.

“A few people who were protesting helped controlling the mob,” said SSP Omkar Singh while admitting that assailants stabbed the person after seeking out his name.

“Investigation will be carried out taking into account all possible angles, including communal aspects of the case,” Singh said.

In another incident, two unknown miscreants killed a barber at his shop on Pachenda road in Muzaffarnagar. Both assailants managed to escape.

The murder gave rise to tension in the area forcing the district administration to deploy heavy police force.

A crowd gathered at the district hospital and protested against the barber's murder. They also shouted slogans against the police.

No FIR has so far been lodged in the matter yet.