By India Tomorrow News,
New Delhi, 26 March 2014: The Supreme Court of India on Wednesday criticized Uttar Pradesh and Central governments for their negligence to control Muzaffarnagar riots. However, the apex court rejected a plea seeking a CBI probe of the riots that had occurred in September last year.
A bench headed by Chief Justice P Sathasivam said that state and central intelligence agencies failed to take steps to prevent riots and maintain peace and communal harmony in riot-hit Muzaffarnagar and surrounding districts.
“It is the responsibility of the state administration in association with the intelligence agencies of both State and Centre to prevent such recurrence of communal violence in any part of the State,” the judgment reads.
The apex court said that the officers who are responsible for negligence should be brought under ambit of law.
“It is made clear that the officers responsible for maintaining law and order, if found negligent, should be brought under the ambit of law irrespective of their status,” said the court.
SC also directed the state government to provide police protection and adequate compensation to rape victims and speedy investigations in all riot-related cases.
On 7-8 September 2013, massive communal clashes took place in Western Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar and Shamli districts in which nearly 60 people were killed and around 50,000 rendered homeless. Various human rights organizations had approached the apex court for its intervention and direction for protecting lives and rehabilitating victims in riot-hit areas.
