LUCKNOW: The Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government in Uttar Pradesh has begun a procedure to withdraw 131 cases lodged against all the accused who were Hindus in connection with the 2013 communal riots.
The riots that broke out in Muzaffarnagar and Shamli claimed over 60 lives and left more than 50,000 people homeless.
As per Indian Express, the cases that are being withdrawn have been registered under “heinous” crimes, as per relevant Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections, with a minimum punishment of seven years in jail.
After the infamous communal riots, the then Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party government had lodged a total of 503 cases against 1450 persons in connection with the riots.
The decision to withdraw these cases against Hindus were taken after a high-level Khap Panchayat delegation led by BJP MP Sanjiv Balyan and the BJP Budhana MLA Umesh Malik met Chief Minister Adityanath on February 5, presenting a list of 179 cases related to riots for withdrawal, as reported by Indian Express.
State Sugarcane Minister Suresh Rana, controversial BJP MLA from Sardhana Sangeet Somm, Baliyan, BJP MLA from Budhana Umesh Malik are among those who are facing charges in connection with the Muzaffarnagar riots.
Earlier, the Yogi Adityanath government had withdrawn 20,000 cases slapped against politicians, including cases against him, Union Minister Shiv Pratap Shukla and BJP MLA Sheetal Pandey.