Tension grips Muzaffarnagar after fresh a bout of violence

Palpable communal tension is prevailing in the rural areas of Muzaffarnagar after violence  erupted again on Wednesday claiming at least four lives. Communal riots in the cash-rich farmer belt of western Uttar Pradesh left 62 people dead in August and forced 45,000 people from the minority community to flee to relief camps.

The fresh cases of communal clashes indict Akhilesh Yadav’s government yet again. It was found woefully short in containing last month’s communal riots, the worst in the past decade. 

Residents of Shamli and Budhana in Muzaffarnagar district where two separate incidents of violence took place told dna over phone that the incidents were a result of the recent flare up that has divided the society and penetrated the rural hinterland.

“The communal divide has percolated to the village level in several areas. It is not going to stop unless the government takes all possible measures to have long term presence of forces in key areas and hold communal harmony meetings between the two rival communities,” said Jitendra Singh, a resident of Shamli, over phone.

The violence occurred on a day Samajawadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav declared that his government would not allow a single communal incident to take place in the state. Speaking at ‘People’s Unity against Communalism’, a convention organised by the left parties, hours before the incident, Singh had said, “I challenge the communal forces to come and do their worst. We will crush them and won’t let a single incident take place.”

Fortunately, the administration responded quickly this time by rushing 200 strong Rapid Action Force personnel along with 500 from the state police to contain the fast-deteriorating situation.

Admitting lapses, Uttar Pradesh DG of police Devraj Nagar said, “It can definitely be attributed to lapses on the part of the police, due to which some people dared to do this. We will take strong action.”