Prime Minister likely to visit violence-hit Muzaffarnagar on Monday

The Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, is likely to visit violence-hit Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh on Monday. Media reports quoted PMO sources as saying that Singh will make an on the spot assessment of the situation in the violence-hit district.

The PM, who is expected to visit the hospitals where the injured have been admitted, is expected to discuss the ground situation with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav. The Prime Minister had earlier talked to the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, and condemned the violence in Muzaffarnagar

Expressing his grief and shock over the loss of innocent lives, Singh had assured the Chief Minister that the Centre will extend all required assistance to the state government in tackling the situation.

A meeting of the National Integration Council (NIC) has been called by the Centre on September 23 to discuss how to combat communalism and casteism in wake of the Muzaffarnagar riots which claimed at least 40 lives. The PM, who will chair the meeting of the NIC, is expected to discuss threadbare the growing incidents of communal violence.

The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, who has so far reiterated that his government would initiate strict action against all those trying to fan communal tension, is expected to visit Muzaffarnagar tomorrow. “Chances are that the chief minister will visit the area tomorrow. We will make security arrangements and there is no problem anywhere,” Inspector General of Meerut zone, Brij Bhushan, told media today.

Bhushan said that although the situation was under control there would be no problem even if the Prime Minister made a visit. “It depends upon person to person as to who is coming. It depends upon that only,” he said. Meanwhile, Minister of State for Home RPN Singh said that the Central Government was closely monitoring the situation. “Fortunately, there has been no untoward incident. We are in the process that peace returns and there is no kind of tension that remains in the area that should calm down immediately. We are watching the situation in Uttar Pradesh. We can only appeal once again that tension does not mount in those areas, but officially there has been no untoward incident in Muzaffarnagar,” he told media in New Delhi

Scores of senior officials, including Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Arun Kumar and others, are constantly camping in trouble-hit Muzaffarnagar.

The Uttar Pradesh Government has constituted a one-member judicial commission to probe Muzaffarnagar violence, which claimed at least 40 lives. The commission, which would mainly look into administrative lapses, if any, in controlling the violence, would submit its report to the government within two months.

Violence broke out in the Kawal area of Muzaffarnagar on Saturday when members of a community returning from a panchayat meeting in Naglabadhod, three kilometres from Kawal, clashed with members of another community.