World · India Bureau
Five acquitted in Muzaffarnagar mosque arson case from 2013
A court has acquitted five individuals accused of arson and vandalism at a mosque during the 2013 Muzaffarnagar communal riots. The Special Investigation Team had filed charges based on an incident in September 2013.
LSN India ·
Five accused have been acquitted in connection with the vandalism and arson of a mosque during the 2013 Muzaffarnagar communal violence that gripped Uttar Pradesh. The incident in question occurred on September 8, 2013, in Muthbhar village, which falls under the Bhorakala police station jurisdiction.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) had investigated the matter and subsequently filed a chargesheet against the five accused. However, the court found insufficient evidence to sustain the charges against them, leading to their acquittal.
The 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots, which broke out following tensions in the western Uttar Pradesh region, resulted in multiple communal clashes and widespread destruction of property. The violence had prompted authorities to conduct several investigations into the incidents that occurred during the period, with the SIT being constituted to probe key cases.
The acquittal marks another conclusion in the legal proceedings related to the riots, which had left dozens dead and displaced thousands of residents from the affected areas.